In My Remains
by Midnight Phantasma
Summary: Allen Walker doesn't exist, only Red. Because he never met Mana. So of course, becoming an Exorcist doesn't mean much to him. And if the Noah have a better offer for him, why the hell shouldn't he accept? [Dark!Allen]
1. A Taste in Exorcism

**A/N:** Yay for plot bunnies!(: So, I'm thinking this will be a three-shot, but that could always change. And I apologize in advance for any mistakes. I did give it a quick read through, but I'm literally about to fall asleep, so I'll do a full edit later, okay? Anyway, thanks for checking this out, and I hope you enjoy!(:

Oh! And sorry for the language, but it _is_ Red…

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 **Disclaimer** **:** I'm sure you can predict where this is headed… Yes! I admit it! I don't own it! Please quit it with the accusations!

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Chapter 1

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 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Having grown used to the fucked up world he was forced to survive in, escaping the circus in order to join a roaming madman, who had a particular taste for both alcohol and women, was just another bullet point on the list of bloody pricks who Red was required to deal with (Cosimo being the previous one). But at least this one didn't beat the snot out of him. Actually, he was technically worse. With the addition of piling his debts on him, General Cross also enjoyed a particular pastime which involved tossing Red into hordes of Akuma. The redhead secretly suspected that it had been Cross' attempt at offing him, but after many failures, he just waved Red in their general direction and ordered him to "take care of it."

But someone as cynical and vicious as Red wouldn't take it lying down. Of course, he made his revenge discreet, because he'd learned the hard way that watching the General suffer from afar was much more satisfying (and less painful) than doing so blatantly to his face (it only caused the General to go off into a rage, after all). Though it didn't mean Red didn't have it in him to mouth off. He just did so from a distance. (It was nothing to be ashamed of!)

There was no love lost between the apprentice and the general.

Red can only recall one instance, in which he believed General Cross to be genuinely sincere. Of course, that was only because his Master had been drunk stupid. Red had been forced to drag the intoxicated man back to their room at the inn, and once he'd finally managed to dump him onto his bed, the bloody man had had the indecency to demand in a slurred voice, "Give me my wine, idiot apprentice!"

"Get it your damn self, ya old cock!" Red had growled, giving him a hard kick in the rear for good measure. Mostly because he knew the General was too pissed to retaliate.

" _Allen_ ," Cross had hissed threateningly.

In return, Red snorted. "Who the fuck is Allen?!"

"It's _you_ , dumbass," the General groused, and then quieted, shifting on his bed as if sobering. "That's your name."

Something inside of Red was hollowed out that night, painfully carving out what little was left, and hardening him into nothing but a shell.

(Was this what they called heartbreak?)

Mouth drying, Red forced the words through the lump constricting his throat, "H-how do you know that?"

"Same arm," his Master had mumbled before passing out.

Even so, Red had gritted his teeth and hissed, "Fuck you, old man. I'm _Red_."

Of course, to this day, it still secretly hurt him to know that he really had been abandoned and left to rot away on the streets. But just like he'd been discarded like a piece of trash, he in turn discarded that cursed name. No. Red was the name he'd given _himself_ , and anyone who said otherwise could fuck off.

(Not that anyone ever did.)

When Red was fifteen, he was finally freed from the clutches of General Cross. Of course, not all that eager to become a pawn of the Black Order, he'd instead decided to screw around, no destination in mind as he wandered about, only taking the time to exorcise the occasional Akuma. But Cross had been such a shitty master, he'd never had the brains to at least introduce him to what they called Level 2s. So when Red decided to dick around some abandoned city called Mater, he'd had the misfortune of running across such a creature. (Not the he was planning on being defeated by something so pathetic. He's just been… caught by surprise.)

With a bloodthirsty smile, Red immersed himself into the adrenaline that came with battle and slaughtered the Level 2. There was no mercy and no useless chitchat. He simply dove in and tore the Akuma to shreds.

Red was startled to find himself disappointed once he defeated the Level 2. He'd gotten so used to the monotony of Level 1s, a small part of him had been thrilled with the battle against the Level 2. But it had been over so quickly.

Red scoffed, scattering the remaining ashes with a vicious kick. Dusting himself off, he hopped over the wreck of crumbling concrete, before leaning down to shoulder the backpack he'd tossed aside. Jumping down onto a clear road, Red shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, whistling a random tune as he casually strolled through the dark, deserted city.

But when he rounded a nearby corner, he was met with a blade to the face.

"Um, bloody rude, don't ya think?" Red groused, fearlessly shoving aside the blade of the katana.

But the taller, Asian man only growled and demanded, "Who the fuck are you?!"

"Uh, Yuu, it's cool. He's obviously one of us!" reassured the tall redhead beside him, waving his hands frantically.

But the Samurai-look-alike only elbowed his companion in the gut and snarled, "Don't call me that, idiot rabbit!"

Taking a closer look, Red finally spotted their uniforms, similar in design to his Master's, except these coats were lined in silver. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. It was just his luck to run into Exorcists. And a pair of idiots at that.

" _Right_ …" Red mumbled, before pointedly stepping around them and sauntering off.

"The hell…? Is this guy for real? _Hey_! _Beansprout_! Get the fuck back here! You need to come with us!" the Asian called after him.

 _Beansprout…?_ Red's eye twitched. "Fuck you, dickhead!" he called back. "And if you're tryin'na drag me to the Order, I'm already on my way," he continued, not bothering to turn around, offering them a lazy wave.

"Uh, are you sure?" called the one-eyed pillock with the annoying smile. "If so, you're going the wrong way, shortstack!"

 _What the hell is up with all the short nicknames?!_

"Oh yeah? How _fascinating_ ," Red drawled, not once pausing in his stride. "Don't let me keep you waiting. I'll get there eventually."

When the duo assaulted him from either side, Red didn't fight them. He'd expected their reaction, and truthfully, it was probably the only way he'd ever locate HQ. Whatever worked really. Not that he was going let the dumbass pair off so easily. By the time the trio arrived at the Order, Red was pretty sure they both loathe him. Even the ever-smiling pirate had been unable to conceal the annoyed ticks and the occasional scowl. Red counted it as wins for himself.

But when Kanda and Lavi—as they'd introduced themselves—left him stranded beside a towering cliff, claiming that it was mandatory for newcomers to enter through the main gate, Red had to give it to them. So with a vicious smirk, he waved them off. That was all they needed to see in order to know that there would be hell to pay. (Not that Red was actually too pissed off. Screwing with people was one of his favorite pastimes, after all.)

And scaling the cliff side wasn't anything that Red couldn't handle. Using his monstrous arm to launch himself up constantly had been quite exhausting, but doable. And eventually, he managed to collapse atop the cliff. From his vantage point, he was able to observe the swarm of bat-like golems fluttering in hordes around the gloomy tower. "Looks like sumtin' straight from a night terror," Red mumbled, hopping up and shouldering his backpack.

In his opinion, the whole ordeal was a complete waste of his time. The Gate Keeper, despite his frightening appearance, was an absolute wuss who'd burst into a tears at the sight of Red's chilling glower. Additionally, the Supervisor sounded like he was entirely incompetent, and his sister, pretty she may be, but she was so… _nice_ it left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth.

Later, after the tour (which he'd completely zoned out on, considering he wouldn't be able to find his way around either way), and after a visit to the freaky Exorcist Hevlaska, Red decided that there were at least a few upsides to his situation. Number one being that there was _free_ _food_. He could finally keep up with his demanding stomach! The second upside was the fact that nobody cared what he did as long as he completed his missions and didn't try to go on the run like his Master. (And weirdly enough, Exorcists were something akin to gods among the Finders.)

Red took full advantage of course, and freely roamed the tower, knowing that there was always a Finder nearby to guide him back to the dining hall if he grew too hungry. Shamelessly he pick-pocketed, spied, and messed with his fellow Order members. Some took it in good humor and others made empty threats. But Red couldn't care less and was willing to do anything to abate his boredom.

So it was no surprise that one of Komui's lackeys eventually hunted him down and dragged him to the Supervisor's office in order to receive his first mission.

(Red was quite startled to find that Lenalee was his partner for the mission. He was pretty sure the Supervisor wasn't too keen on him, so it must've been her doing.)

"So, Red, what do you think of the mission?" Lenalee politely inquired during the train ride.

He offered her a bored shrug, head lazily resting on the palm of his hand, mercury eyes focused on the passing scenery. "Sounds barmy, I guess."

"A rewinding town _is_ a bit unusual, isn't it?" Lenalee chuckled nervously.

Red shot her an odd glance. Was she… _scared_ of him?

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," he muttered, flitting his eyes back to the window.

"So… your teacher was General Cross, was he not? I can't _believe_ the General is really alive!" she exclaimed.

 _Bloody hell, why is this girl trying so hard?_ Red wondered, but instead snorted and remarked in a bored tone, "Believe it. No matter how many times I tried offing him, he kept comin' back. The man's like a bloody cockroach."

"Ah, really?" Lenalee chuckled awkwardly.

"Mhmm," he hummed, still wondering what her deal was. She was sweet and she was pretty. And she was an Exorcist too, so she probably wouldn't be too revolted by his arm. But Red was long past caring. Lenalee could do whatever the hell she wanted. If being kind to him made her feel better about herself, then so be it. He wasn't planning on encouraging it. She'd soon find out that she was wasting her time.

Red had to give it to her though. She was quite stubborn, and he was rather relieved when they finally reached their destination.

Despite his initial curiosity, Red soon realized that other than being stuck on the same day, the town was as dull as they came. He came to this conclusion about five minutes after he and Lenalee split up, and after spotting a nearby circus tent, he strolled over and ducked towards the back. Situating himself between two crates, Red made himself comfortable and relaxed into a light snooze.

An hour later, he was startled awake by someone poking at his left hand. Lazily blinking open his mercury eyes, Red observed the spiky-haired girl viciously poking his red hand. (He had long ago quit concealing it. After becoming numb to the jeers, he now purposely allowed it to be seen with the sick intent of making people squirm at the sight.)

If she noticed that he was awake and observing her, she didn't make it known and instead continued to mess with his arm, careful not get her fingers too near the green crystal.

"Um, if you're quite done fondling my arm, can I go back to my nap?" Red deadpanned.

Wide, violet eyes met his blank gaze. The petite girl burst into a grin. "Hey, shouldn't you be more careful about concealing this? It seems quite special!"

Red stomped down on his astonishment. "It doesn't concern you."

The girl giggled. "That's what you think~." Red narrowed his eyes, but the girl simply beamed and offered him her hand. "I'm Road!" she chirped.

After a second of gazing at her hand in distaste, Red finally shook, though brief as it was. "Red," he replied simply.

"Red?!" she exclaimed. "Wow! So pretty! That's my favorite color!"

"Gee, how nice," Red muttered, pointedly leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Hey, Red, wanna play a game with me?!" Road jumped up excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Hm? Pass," he muttered.

"Aw! Come on! I'll even invite your pretty Exorcist friend!" she suggested.

Snapping his eyes open, Red kept a careful eye on the girl with the vicious smirk, slowly getting to his feet. "Fine, I'll bite," he ground out through gritted teeth, "Who the hell are you?"

"Aw, that's no way to talk to your new friend! Come along, Mr. Exorcist~!" she laughed.

Suddenly, he was falling and he knew no more.

But when Red did come to his senses, it was to find that not only was his Innocence weapon activated, it was bolted to the wall. Jaw clenching tightly, Red disregarded the cutting pain and instead turned his eyes to the rest of his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some sort of… pocket dimension? It couldn't possibly be the real world. There was no end or beginning to the darkness, and his immediate surroundings consisted of walls covered in childish wallpaper, along with piles of porcelain dolls and other toys and candles floating listlessly. As for those who'd appeared to have joined him… Lenalee was completely out of it; dressed in a mauve gown and hair curled to perfection, she sat upon a thrown. The girl, Road, was encased in his own Exorcist coat while tending to Lenalee and… ordering Level 2 Akuma around?

Red couldn't believe his eyes.

"What fucked up nightmare have I entered?"

"Red!" Road squealed, abandoning Lenalee in favor of him and jumping into his lap.

At this point, Red had completely lost his cool. "The hell?! Get off me! What are you?! An Akuma?!"

"No, silly~," Road giggled, "I'm just as human as you!"

Red grimaced. "I'd sure as hell be daft to believe you."

"Aw, you don't believe me?" Road pouted and then sighed. "I knew I should've waited for you two to find the Innocence, but I was just so _bored_! _But_ … if you two aren't around, it's not like I'll have any competition, right?"

Red scowled. "You're a seriously fucked up little girl."

"Well, that's not very nice~!"

"Yeah, whatever," Red muttered. "Now, are ya gonna tell me what the hell you are? Because I'm pretty fucking sure Akuma wouldn't obey any normal human," he spat, and with a pained shout, wrenched his metal arm out of the wall.

Road blinked, not appearing at all threatened by the claws raised in her direction. In the dim lighting, he almost didn't notice her skin becoming ashen and her eyes melting into a piercing gold. Her lips curled into a vicious smirk as she clamped a tiny hand onto his metal arm. "You're right," she murmured, "I'm not like you at all." With a sharp tug, she wrenched his claws down and ripped herself apart.

Red grimaced as she shoved her shredded face close to his, rasping out, "I am one of the true Apostles chosen by God, part of the Noah Clan. We are the descendants of Noah, the oldest Apostle in human history, and we inherited _his_ genes. We are _above_ you, sub-humans."

Red could only watch, fascinated as her face regenerated into its original appearance. So distracted was he, that he simply gasped in pain, coughing out blood as Road dug his own claws into his gut.

With a livid roar, Red shoved her aside, bending over breathlessly and clutching his bleeding torso. But Road merely burst into shrill laughter. "Shut the hell up," Red hissed, glower becoming fierce. Catching sight of it, Road actually paused, speechless. Scooting closer, she took his face in her hands before Red could protest.

"But maybe you're different," she whispered.

"Fuck you," he spat.

"I'm serious," Road whispered, "For a second, your eyes were just like mine."

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 **A/N:** No, this is not the part where he decides to join the Noah, lol. This is just the part where he catches the attention of the Noah.(; And yes, I purposely didn't include Lero, even though he's there in canon. I just seriously didn't need the stupid umbrella wailing in the background and ruining the mood. For real. Anyway, I'll be sure to update soon! For the time being, please let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts!^-^


	2. The Second Side of the Coin

**A/N:** I'm truly happy with the response this has gotten!(: But you know, a few reviewers let me know that they thought that without Mana, Red's situation was very realistic. If I'm being honest though, I feel as if without Mana, Red would've eventually died from loneliness, depression, hunger, and abuse long before Cross showed up.): Of course, I am ignoring that for the sake of this story!

Anyway, a big thank you to **cursedchild14** , **jy24** , **Black Hearts24** , **Nadejdaro** , **lizy2000** , **readwithcats** , **Ennael** , **Guest** , **JJ45** , **RedAllen** , **WTDMH** , **WinterYule** , **Ryan Mashall** , **thebizarrehairtrio** , **Guest #2** , and **Kuroi Rin** for all taking the time to review! Your words were extremely encouraging, and I probably wouldn't have gotten this next part out so quickly if it hadn't been for you guys! And I'd also like to thank everyone who also put this on their favorites, alerts, and communities!^-^

Also, please keep in mind that this follows the timeline of the manga and not the anime. I got a couple complaints concerning that, so I thought I'd clear that up. Enjoy!

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 **Disclaimer** **:** For the umpteenth time in a row, I am unable to claim any rights or ownership whatsoever.

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Chapter 2

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 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Ever since his first encounter with the Noah, Red was haunted by a shadow. Perturbing as it was, he kept it to himself. Every now and then, he spoke to the swirling shadows with the ghastly grin reflected at his back, although the entity never deigned to reply. Still, Road's words stuck with Red even after all these weeks, and once he openly considered the possibility of being a Noah, he began to wonder what sort of freak he must be to be tainted by both God and Satan. He was a monstrosity. But he'd accepted that long before the Exorcists and Noah had drawn him into their feud.

Red wondered, if the Noah had found him first, would he currently be fighting alongside them?

It's not like he'd exactly been given a choice. General Cross had practically kidnapped him from the circus after a mass of Akuma had reigned destruction upon the town they'd been residing in. All too relieved to have survived the devastation, Red hadn't questioned his situation with the General, until he realized how much of an arsehole his Master really was. But even after taking this into consideration, it's not like Red had anyone or anywhere to go back to. What did he have to live for? At least, being an Exorcist gave him a bit of purpose. Not a purpose he particularly wanted, but something to fill the void nonetheless.

And so, Red had stuck it out. He worked and trained to better himself in combat, because there was no way he'd allow any of those bloody Akuma to get the best of him. And fighting; _that_ was an absolute thrill. Now those brutes he'd dealt with when he was younger were _nothing_. Nothing compared to demons and monsters. If they could see him now, Red would easily bet that they'd think _him_ to have become a demon as well.

(An accusation he'd be unable to deny.)

But for the time being, he'd continue to be an Exorcist. The Noah were now waging war against them, and with the death of General Yeegar and a number of other Exorcists, Red wasn't exactly willing to put his life in their hands. (Not that he trusted the Black Order any more. Like hell would he ever inform them about his status as a possible Noah. Not willingly, in any case.)

As an Exorcist, taking on missions had occasionally piqued his interest, up until he was assigned the task of hunting his Master back down. Now Red was saddled with a band of misfits that called themselves Exorcists, all of which included the duffer with the fake smile, an old geezer, the lady with the neurotic issues, a bloodsucker, and of course, Lenalee, who _everyone_ loved. And to further add to his misfortune, he was stuck on a damn ship with the lot of them, so it's not like he had anywhere to go to escape to from the overly friendly bunch.

Lenalee had been especially relentless. Ever since the two were forced to watch Suman Dark (another Exorcist) not only become a Fallen One, but also be witness to the hordes of Akuma feasting on his remains, she'd somehow gotten the idea of the two forging a bond of comradery into her head. (It was all real strange to Red, who continued to cling onto his bitterness in the face of her kindness.)

"Just leave the guy be, Lenalee," Red heard Lavi admonish her that night on the ship. "He clearly wants nothing to do with us, and you're only going to end up hurting yourself in the end."

"Don't you see, Lavi?" Lenalee answered, remaining stubborn. "I don't think Red has ever known a friend, and he's our _comrade_. How can I simply sit by when he clearly needs someone? _Everyone_ needs someone."

A little irritated with the idea that she might persuade the eye-patch guy with her argument, Red stepped into the cabin and drawled, "Aww, how sweet. I'm sure if I ever have a fuck left to give, I'll know straight who to go ta."

Lenalee frowned. She seemed be doing that a lot nowadays. He wondered why. (Note the sarcasm.) "I understand that you're not ready to be our friend, Red, but it doesn't mean you have to be so spiteful towards us. We don't mean you any harm. We're simply trying to help," she pleaded, voice soft.

 _Eh…? Is this girl for real?! What the bloody hell does she think this is? We're in the middle of a fucking war and all she can go on about is friendship_ , Red thought, incredulous. He was, honest to God, left speechless.

"Hey! Are you even listening to her?" Lavi suddenly snapped, when Red didn't immediately reply.

"No, no. I'm listening," he waved it off. "It just… it takes me a minute to process so much stupid all at once," he sneered.

Lenalee was hurt and Lavi was livid.

But that would have to wait, because it was then that the ship rocked sharply beneath them with a booming crash echoing from the deck. Not another word was exchanged as trio raced out of the cabin, soon joined by the rest of the Exorcists.

And Red could not believe his eyes. Sure, having become an official Exorcist had taught him that there were bigger threats than mere Level 1s, but this… For the first time in a long time, Red felt apprehensive. Level 1s and Level 2s he could take on any day. Noah, despite their abilities, were just as human and as easily susceptible to his mind games. But a Level 3? No, scratch that, _two_ Level 3s?!

"Bloody hell," Red hissed, summing up everyone's thoughts.

But in all actuality, Red never got to lift a single finger.

Faster than his eyes could track, one of the Level 3s swooped down with a bloodthirsty grin, vines shooting out of its torso and swathing Red's form. But his struggles were as useless as the voices that called his name when he was suddenly wrenched into the air alongside the Akuma. "I've got you, Master Noah!" the psychotic Level 3 cackled. "I'll take you straight to our Maker!"

"The fuck?!" Red wheezed, having trouble catching his breath, but when he realized that the Akuma was only flying straight up, he craned his head back and managed to catch sight of a black portal flashing into existence. "Oh hell."

They were swallowed whole.

Seconds later, Red was surprised to find he was still alive. He was even more astonished when he was gently set on his feet. But Red still stiffened in apprehension when he realized that not only was he facing a Level 3, but also the Millenium Earl himself.

 _I am so dead._

"Red~!"

What he did not expect though, was to suddenly be tackled by the little hellion herself. Awkwardly clearing his throat with arms hanging stiffly at his side, Red snapped, "The hell?! Get of me!"

Road hopped back with a pout. "That's exactly what you said to me last time!"

"Then don't invade my personal space!" he retorted, though still fully aware of the fact that he was in the same room as the Earl. And was that another Noah standing beside him? Red cursed internally. Just what he needed. Yet another Noah to join the party. He was _so_ fucking dead.

"We've kept a close eye on you, Red~," the Millenium Earl abruptly chuckled through his massive grin, stepping forward, narrowed amber eyes peeking from above his glasses with a sinister glare.

Fisting his hands, Red returned his glare with false bravado and demanded, "Yeah? What the hell for?!"

"Cheating boy, it seems you still haven't learned any manners," the unknown Noah stepped up. At the very least, he was only unknown until Red took a closer look and connected the dots of both his appearance and name-calling to that of the vagabond he'd defeated back in the train.

Great. It was just his luck.

"Sticky fingers, is that you?!" Red demanded with a scowl. "What the fuck is going on around here? I'm facing the Earl, a hobo, a sadistic little girl, and an Akuma who calls me 'Master'! What is this shite?!"

"Tyki-pet, please take care of him~," the Earl chuckled, "Road and I must attend to matters of the Ark."

 _An Ark? Okay, these so-called Noah are taking their name to a whole new level of freakishness_ , Red decided.

"Earl, please refrain from calling me that," Tyki sighed, before stepping forward and clamping a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go," he directed firmly, eyes narrowing when it appeared that Red was getting ready to protest. In the end, he gave in, thinking he probably had a better chance with the evil bum than with the devil himself.

" _Fine_ ," Red bit out, following him to a nearby doorway. But he was startled to find that rather than stepping into a room, they were suddenly transported to the front yard of a grand mansion. Mercury eyes bugging out, Red muttered, "How in the hell…?"

"It's called an Ark Gate," Tyki replied simply, "Though that is the last we'll be seeing of it in the next few days."

"What? Why?" Red demanded, chasing after him when he realized that the older Noah was walking ahead towards the front door.

"Not that anyone ever tells me anything," Tyki huffed as they entered through the grand entrance, "But I believe the Earl and Road are working to download a new version of it."

"Okay, whatever. But why am I stuck with _you_?" he sneered.

Eye twitching, Tyki turned to him and hissed, "It's more like I am stuck with _you_ , boy. And I don't understand anymore than you do as to why the Earl decided to drag you over to our side when you haven't even undergone the Noah transformation yet." He then bore a thoughtful expression. "Boy, do you know why it is that you posses both a Noah memory and Innocence."

"Beats me," Red shrugged with a spiteful grin, "I figured I was just cursed."

"That's one way to think of it," Tyki scoffed as he lead him throughout the maze-like hallways of the manor. "I'm surprised you haven't yet attempted to escape back to your little Exorcist friends."

Red barked out a mocking laugh. " _Friends_? You're not being serious, are ya?"

"Um, well never mind, I guess," Tyki muttered, before abruptly coming to a stop, and directing him over to a nearby room. "You can rest there for the night. The Earl's saddled me with you, but I also have other tasks I must complete, so you have no choice but to come with me. We'll be heading for Japan tomorrow morning."

"I was _already_ heading for Japan, before you douche-bags kidnapped me!" Red snapped with a scowl.

But Tyki only headed off without responding. Before he disappeared from sight though, he called back, "And for God's sake boy, get rid of that damn Exorcist coat!"

"I'll get rid of _something_ alright," Red groused underneath his breath, before deciding that he either had the option of defying the Noah and getting lost in this stupid mansion, or getting some shuteye. In the end, Red chose upon the latter.

"Damn, these Noah are a bunch of arseholes," Red decided as he entered the room and promptly kicked off his boots. "I like 'em better than those wimpy ass Exorcists already!"

* * *

Though Red didn't give a particular fuck towards his Exorcist coat and didn't mind ridding himself of it, he was still irritated by the stuffy clothes Tyki had forced him to wear. He almost didn't recognize himself in all the fancy getup of button-ups and vests and stupid dress pants. The dumb ribbon around his neck felt like it was choking him, and the Noah had had the audacity to force his hair into a low ponytail! It's not like his stupid hair was _that_ long! Red had finally put his foot down when he'd been handed a pair of hideous dress shoes, and had refused to remove his combat boots, much to Tyki's annoyance.

And Tyki had _not_ shut up about the proper dress code for a Noah, until Red had finally shouted, "Ya fucking hypocrite! You're a bloody _hobo_!"

The older man had only grimaced and remarked, "And we'll certainly have to work on your manners."

Fortunately for the redhead, the trip back to Japan was a lot more entertaining on his part. Barring the occasional lecture Tyki gave him on the Noah Clan, they mostly spent their train and boat rides playing Poker. It only took Red a single day to strip Tyki of all valuables, so afterwards, they decided to play for the sport of it, rather than betting on anything. Mostly because Red loved playing Poker, and without a penny left on Tyki, they'd have nothing better to do other than bicker.

Once the duo did reach Japan, Red was startled when they incidentally met up with a couple of the other Noah. Apparently this 'task' that Tyki had mentioned, was finishing off his kill list. Turns out Red was temporarily on that list, until Road had brought the news of another possible Noah. In any case, with all the Exorcists turning up in Japan, it had been cause for a number of other Noah to follow trail behind them.

As for what he thought about them?

Red was completely positive that Devitto and Jasdero were _way_ more fucked up than he was. They just weren't right in the head, _but_ he could at least appreciate their dark humor. What he _couldn't_ appreciate was the fact that they tried to kill him on sight when they sensed his Innocence weapon. Though he was proud to say he held his own against them up until Tyki had interfered. And as for the giant man with the sweet tooth… well, Skinn didn't attempt to slaughter him, so that was bonus points for the big dude.

In retrospect, this whole situation was quite bizarre. Only days ago had he been fighting as an Exorcist, then, one kidnapping later, and he was suddenly considered part of the Noah Clan. If Red had the will to give a single fuck, he might've been a little freaked out. But as it was, he simply continued to express his deadpan feelings, briefly wondering where the hell he'd end up next.

(Shit, he might die only to be brought back as an Akuma. Wouldn't that be a fucked up twist of fate?)

"I don't even think they recognize me," Red muttered to Tyki, as they stood on the roofs at the center of Edo, beside the Earl. A couple buildings away, the group of Exorcists had made themselves known when they'd foolishly attempted to slay the Earl with a massive fire snake.

"Give us back our friend!"

"No, I'm pretty sure they recognize you, boy," Tyki smirked.

Red sighed. "Just my luck…"

* * *

 **A/N:** So, uh, who votes for this fic to be longer than a three-shot?


	3. Walking the Line

**A/N:** So, um, _yeah_. This is definitely going to be longer than a three-shot! It actually makes things easier for me, since it gives me the chance to slow things down! You can tell from the first two chapters that I was rushing things, and though I don't regret it, since it now allows me to deal with the more interesting events of the manga, it certainly means that I won't rush through the rest of it.(:

Thank you to **Fanofdgm** , **Kuroi Rin** , **Hello** , **Woof** , **readwithcats** , **thebizarrehairtrio** , **Lunar Loon** , **Juli Ramos** , **WTDMH** , **jy24** , **Ennael** , **Mana D. Cannibal** , **WinterYule** , **HEAllbeeCat** , **lizy2000** , **Guest** , **sieglinde-s** , **RedAllen** , **cloud-chan27** , **Lady Crystal-4** , **bibliophile030** , and **happybear135** for all reviewing! I really appreciate it!^-^

Enjoy!

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 **Disclaimer** **:** Nope!

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Chapter 3

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 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Amidst all the madness of battling Exorcists and Noah, Red kicked back to see which side would defeat which. After all, whoever it was that won would probably be taking Red home as the prize. Did this bother him? Not really. Did he care who did win? Maybe a little. Though not enough to get himself involved. He was surprised to find that the Exorcists were actually holding their own, considering how many of them were already injured; it probably helped that another group of Exorcists had joined them, one of which included the girly-haired bastard.

And as soon as the Millenium Earl had thought to compress and detonate a sphere of Dark Matter that _flattened_ all of Edo, Red found himself grateful in his decision to stick to the shrine-styled tower. "What the bloody hell is that…?" he mumbled to himself, standing and leaning forward. At this point, he'd been left on his own. The twins had disappeared sometime back in order to seek out their target, Tyki and Skinn were engaging Lavi and Marie in battle, respectively, and the Earl's venture to investigate the crystallized Innocence had prompted Kanda to intervene.

"Huh," Red muttered, scratching the back of his head and kicking at a loose brick, "This is rubbish. I'm out of here…"

Jumping down towards the base of the tower, Red casually ambled off, effectively hidden in the fog that rose in the aftermath of the Earl's attack. There were close moments in which he almost stumbled into the middle of a battle (and he made sure to keep his distance from the roaring monsters made up of Level 3 Akuma), but he eventually reached the outskirts of Edo, where the Earl's power didn't strike, allowing a few buildings and homes to still stand. Red was contemplating how to get back to the mainland, when he ran into the devil himself. (And no, he was not referring to the Millenium Earl.)

"Idiot apprentice," Cross greeted him gruffly, a bottle of sake in one hand. "Why the fuck are you dressed up like a toff?"

Red grimaced at the sight of him. "Sod off!" he scowled, tempted to knock the bottle of alcohol from his Master's hand. "I'll have ya know that this whole cock up is _your_ fault!"

Cross sneered. "Blaming your failures on me? How very unbecoming of you, idiot apprentice."

"Put a sock in it, would ya?" Red groused, viciously kicking at the ground. "I'll have ya know, I got sent'ere with a whole bunch'a wankers so that we could drag _your_ drunk arse back ta the Order! And _then_ , those Noah go and fucking kidnap me and dress me up all nice, sayin' I'm one'a _them_! The whole thing's pretty dodgy, but at least the Noah don't talk ma ear off with sentiments of friendship or whatever." Irritated, Red untied the stupid ribbon choking him, allowing it to hang lose around his neck, before snapping off the rubber band holding his short hair up, permitting his thorns of rust-red hair to spike up.

But his rant had already caught his Master's attention. "The Noah took you?"

Caught off guard by Cross' serious tone, Red paused and blinked. "Uh, yeah, what of it?"

"I see," the General only murmured, before finally meeting Red's perplexed gaze. "Has the Noah shown any signs of awakening?"

 _Okay, either it's difficult to take Master by surprise, or he's known about this all long…_ Red thought with a visible scowl. "You fucker! You _knew_!" (He was taking a gamble here. It's a good thing Red _never_ lost his gambles.)

"And?" Cross drawled, tipping his bottle up.

 _Yep. I was right. Master is the devil of all devils_ , Red decided. "Fine," he grumbled, "And yeah, the stupid Noah's shown himself. He follows me around as a shadow; thinks he's all scary and shite."

Dropping the empty, glass bottle back into a pile of them, Cross stepped close and grinned wickedly. "Since it appears you're currently being useless, as usual idiot apprentice, I believe I'm in the need of a little assistance with this next task of mine."

Red involuntarily took a step back. "Aw, fuck."

* * *

With a grimace, Red peeled off the Skull disguise Cross had conjured up with his sorcery. _I wonder if this is what Akuma feel like?_ Red thought, dropping the last Skull onto the pile of them. Of course, Cross hadn't really needed him; the man had just ordered him to do his dirty work. Not that Red had minded all that much. Kicking the ass of human/skull hybrids had been pretty entertaining. Though he didn't want to think of how the Earl might react if he found out that Red was knocking around his minions.

"Listen up, idiot apprentice," Cross suddenly called. Red turned and joined him at the base of the Akuma Egg Plant. "This place is currently at its weakest, and it'll be the last section that the Earl will download into his new Ark. At the moment, your little friends need you more, but when the moment comes, I'm dispatching you to the piano room."

"Um, that's brill and all, but how the hell is a piano going ta help out?" Red retorted, not pointing out the fact that Cross was under the assumption that he was still with the Exorcists. Then again, he didn't really consider himself to be part of the Noah Clan, either. In Red's world, it was every man for himself.

"The Noah currently residing in you is the original creator of this Ark. Meaning _you're_ now the lucky owner," Cross sneered, "So just play the fucking piano when I tell you to, and reconstruct the Ark. It'll prevent the Earl from downloading anything more, including this place."

"Aye aye, captain," Red deadpanned.

Without further instructions, Cross snapped, "Timcanpy!"

 _What? Did the golem belong to the Noah too?_ Red mentally snorted, when the golden golem successfully managed to alter his location in the Ark, before blinking out of existence, most likely returning to his Master. "B-bloody hell," Red stammered, eyes bugging out when he took note that he'd landed right on the edge of a massive, ivory tower. Taking a few, firm steps back, the redhead muttered, "I'm going ta fuckin' crush that golem!"

Once he managed to get over his shock, Red curiously looked around and casually ambled further into the tower. "You've gotta be shittin' me," he muttered, expression blank with disbelief. Unceremoniously making his presence known, Red strolled forward and plopped into a seat in between the Noah and Exorcists. Not giving anyone a chance to react, he began serving himself some food. "Gee, how nice of ya, startin' dinner without yer good ol' pal Red. I'm touched, really," he deadpanned, stabbing a fork into his food.

After a few seconds of an incredulous pause, (surprise, surprise) Lenalee spoke up with a relieved smile, "Red! You're alright!"

Shooting her a skeptical glance, Red pointed out, "Ya don't look so chipper yourself. Who gave ya _that_ haircut? Komui and his drill?"

Despite his snide commentary, Lenalee only offered him a sad smile and explained, "It was the Level 3 Akuma. It got burnt off in the explosion after I defeated it."

Okay, so she'd gone up against a Level 3 and _won_ , not even something Red could claim to have done. So he had to give her props. (Only mentally, though.) Out loud, he replied, "That's a bummer. Komui's gonna have an aneurysm once he sees that mess."

"Y-yeah," Lenalee muttered, gaze downcast.

 _Did I hurt her feelings yet again?_ Red mentally wondered.

"And where exactly have _you_ been?" Lavi suddenly demanded, gaze calculating.

"With us, of course!" Road butted in with a grin, hopping down from her position on the floating, pink umbrella and skipping over to Red's side, arms snaking around one of his own and pressing herself close against him.

"Well, _yeah_ ," Red deadpanned, "You lot kidnapped me. I didn't exactly have a choice." As he spoke, the redhead took note of the fact that Marie, Krory, and—what was her name…?—Miranda were missing. Either they had been left behind with that other General, or they were dead. Red considered the latter, since Skinn and the twins were also noticeably missing, leaving Tyki and Road to face Lenalee, Lavi, Kanda and—was that one of the sailors from the ship?! What the hell was that guy doing here?!

"Don't tell me you're with _them_ now, beansprout," Kanda spat, hands gripping Mugen beneath the table.

 _How the fuck do I deal with this?! Sure, I like the Noah a bit better, but considering there are only two of them right now, they're outnumbered. I'm out for myself. Not sure I have the best chances of surviving with them at the moment,_ Red thought quite rapidly. On the surface though, he merely sneered and quipped, "Why don't ya go home and search for yer brain, Kanda? I think ya left in your sock drawer."

" _What'd_ you say to me, sprout?!" Kanda snarled, making a move to stand.

"Did ya hear me, or do I need to say it again in brail?" Red continued to taunt him. At this point, the only think holding Kanda back was Lenalee's tight grip on his wrist.

Tyki chuckled, "I see I still haven't managed to cram any manners into you, boy. Though I am curious—how _did_ you enter this place?"

"Oh," Red blinked, "When I saw everything was going ta shite, I ditch you all." He ignored their expressions of disbelief and annoyance and continued, "Then I ran into my dickhead of a Master, and before I knew it, he tossed me into this place."

"You found the General?!" the Exorcists demanded.

"Yeah, but he ran off again," Red lied, just for the sake of witnessing their horrified faces of incredulity. "Just pullin' yer tail. I don't know. He might still be around. Maybe."

"Considering our situation, it might be better that he's left," Lavi muttered darkly, single eye narrowed.

"Considering our _situation_ ," Kanda rebutted with a scowl, "We could fucking _use_ the help of a General. Marie and the bloodsucker are probably already dead, and we still have _these_ clowns to deal with."

From then on, Red tuned out the rest of the insults and commentary exchanged, contemplating how he would act. Clearly, battle was bound to break out. By then, Red would need to come to a decision on what side he'd take. Though that did beg the question as to why they were all residing in a crumbling pocket dimension in the first place… "Oi," he called, cutting Tyki off mid-monologue, much to the older Noah's irritation, "Why the hell are we all in here anyway? I'm here because my Master's an arsehole, but what about the rest of ya? Isn't this place collapsing, or sumtin?"

They all appeared momentarily stunned by his confusion, before Lavi explained, "They believe Lenalee's Innocence to be the Heart, and tossing her in here was their attempt at an execution. But we followed her."

"And!" Road piped up from beside him, "We thought it'd be fun to make it a game! If they can get past all us Noah, they win! The prize is my door that I summoned at the top of this tower, and it'll lead them back to the outside world."

"Not that they'll make it, of course," Tyki smirked, "Already they've lost two of their comrades."

Through his clenched jaw, Lavi murmured, "Red, you wouldn't happen to know if there's another exit we could take, with the General."

Considering Cross was counting on his so-called Noah powers, it was unlikely. "Seemed more like a one-way thing," Red shrugged, not bothering to unveil the backup plan. It's not like it mattered. They might die anyway.

"Then that settles it," Kanda growled, standing and shaking off Lenalee's grip. "I'm taking on the vagabond. Lavi, take care of the girl. Red, protect Lenalee and the sailor."

Tyki smirked and drawled, "As fun as this little chat has been, Mr. Kitchen Knife is correct." Casually, he slipped out and lit a cigarette and held it between his lips, murmuring around it, "After all, it's time to get to the fun part." Expression splitting into a smirk, Tyki stood. "And as expected, you've got to be evil to have fun."

Red wasn't sure why Kanda suddenly split apart a butterfly with his katana, but he thought it better to leave it unexplained. Though he was surprised to find that Tyki and Road hadn't publicly declared him a Noah. Did they simply not care? Or were they merely amused by the ignorance of the other Exorcists? Either way, it gave Red a free-bee, so he wasn't about to complain. As soon as Kanda and Tyki threw themselves into battle, and as soon as Road stood before the Bookman Junior with a devious grin, Red grasped Lenalee and the sailor each roughly by the arm and dragged them off.

"W-where are you taking us, Mr. Exorcist?" the sailor with the spiky ponytail demanded, voice trembling slightly.

"You two are useless, so I'm gettin' rid of ya," Red retorted gruffly, quickly hauling them up a side-staircase that would lead them to the top floor.

"N-no!" Lenalee protested. "We can't leave them behind!"

"Who said anything about _me_ leaving?" Red scoffed. After all, he still needed to follow through with Cross' plan, and the General was one of the few people Red was unwilling to defy. At least not _this_ blatantly. And even if Cross failed on his side, Road's door would still be around.

"I-I'm not doing it!" Lenalee cried, as Red forcefully continued to drag them up.

"Gee, then it's a good thing ya don't have a choice, isn't it?" Red sneered. "Would ya look at yourself, Lenalee? You're useless with those legs, so don't bother tryin'a drag the rest of us down. Ya already defeated the big, bad Level 3. Ya kept everyone safe. Yer job's _done_." And if that didn't manage to shut her up, Red was sure he had duct tape on him _somewhere_.

"But—"

"Oh, goodie! Here we are!" Red exclaimed, opening Road's bright, colorful door. "Now, _go_."

"What do you think you're doing~?"

"Shite," Red muttered, and before Road could interfere, the redhead tossed Lenalee and the other guy through the doorway before slamming it shut.

When he turned to look at Road, she appeared slight incredulous and a bit amused. "You actually saved them?"

Red snorted. "They were pathetic."

Road pouted. "Well that's no fun. Anyway! Come along! The Bookman Junior's brain damaged and pitting him against his Asian friend should be fun—" Road cut herself off with a gasp. "Tyki!"

Curiosity piqued, Red chased after her.

The events that followed were quite messy and coerced Red into exerting much more effort than he liked. He was used to battling Akuma's, but when Lavi turned on him as well… Apparently, as much as the Exorcists irritated him, Red didn't have the same will as the other Noah to slaughter them. Plus, he was sure Kanda wouldn't appreciate it, despite the fact that the Asian himself made his hatred for the rabbit clearly known. And after being witness to Kanda ruthlessly stabbing Tyki through the heart, Red had gained a bit of respect for him.

Though he was sure that Tyki wasn't quite dead. After Road had revealed just how indestructible they were back in the Rewinding Town, Red had a feeling that it would take more than a stab to the heart to rid themselves of that particular Noah.

 _Or maybe, I overestimated them_ , Red thought, once he eyed Road's scattered ashes. _Didn't think the one-eyed rabbit would have it in him. Then again, he's a Bookman…_

Of course, when Tyki decided to come back to life, Red growled, "It just couldn't be that easy, could it?!" Kanda and Lavi exchanged a grim gaze, though they seemed to be in agreement with the shorter redhead.

Battling the deranged Noah was an even bigger pain in the arse, and eventually, both Cross and the Millenium Earl found it within themselves to show up. Not that Red was able to stick around for long after, because as soon as they'd arrived, Timcanpy came swooping in and remodified Red's location. And just like the General had explained, he was in a piano room.

"So, I just gotta play this thing?" Red grumbled, stepping forward and hesitantly placing his mismatched fingers upon the dark keys. Before him, the golden golem spit out an image, though it made no sense whatsoever to Red. "Aw, fuck it," he decided.

Plopping onto the stool, he pressed the keys.

It was… strange. He was moving his fingers, and a song was playing, but he didn't know _how_ he was doing it. But… it felt… _nice_. Somewhere inside of him, he felt the… _Ark_? … asking… asking for what exactly?

 _"So just play the fucking piano when I tell you to, and reconstruct the Ark. It'll prevent the Earl from downloading anything more, including this place."_

 _Wait… that's it? I just… command it to reconstruct? Um, okay, reconstruct,_ Red commanded mentally. The whole situation was barmy, but at this point, who gave a shit? And, shockingly enough, the Ark did just as he'd ordered. Red wasn't sure how, but he could _feel_ it restructuring. Finally, the music came to an end, and it was complete.

"Um, so what now—"

 _Ba-dump!_

Red stumbled to his knees, clutching his pulsating head. It felt as if something were trying to hammer its way out. "W-what the hell is this?!" he hissed, as something gouged its way out of his forehead, blood spilling through his fingers.

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 **A/N:** Why is he already going through the transformation? Since Road stabbed him with his own Innocence back in the Rewinding Town, he's been dealing with his little shadow for quite a while now. It's about time, don't you think? And I know I rushed it towards the end, but come on, it's nothing we haven't already seen in canon.

So, what'd you think of the chapter? You're thoughts on **D. Gray-Man Hollow**? Let me know it all in a review!(:


	4. Fighting to Survive

**A/N:** Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait. I took a bit of a personal hiatus, because honestly, I got sick of writing for a while there. And once I got into the swing of things, I instead focused my energies on writing fics I haven't published—fics I'm probably not even going to publish. Luckily for you, I decided this would be the story to update next, lol. Sorry for the short length though, haha.(x

And a big thanks to **sieglinde-s** , **jy24** , **thebizarrehairtrio** , **Kuroi Rin** , **WinterYule** , **lizyeh2000** , **xXxPhantomxXx** , **WTDMH** , **MesuNeko** , **Takei Daloui** , **Chibi Pika** **Girl** , and **nikonekonyan** for all taking the time to review! Love you guys! And thank you to everyone who's continued to favorite and follow this! Hope I don't disappoint!(;

Enjoy!(:

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 **Disclaimer** **:** Ooh! You caught me! This poor college student totally owns this! Pssh, yeah right! XP

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Chapter 4

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 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Funnily enough, the ribbon Red had previously found irritating, became quite useful once the painful thrumming along his temples receded to a dull throb. Binding it around his forehead and tying it off, he successfully hid away the first impressions of stigmata, just in the time for the group of Exorcists to show up, all led by General Cross.

"Nice going, idiot apprentice, you didn't completely fuck it up."

And that was as close as he'd ever get to receiving a compliment from the general. Not that he cared. Unfortunately, he was then forced to brave the added words of gratitude from the rest. How the hell was he supposed to know that in reconstructing the Ark, it would, in effect, also save their lives, even those that had thought to have been lost? Fortunately for Red, Cross soon cut them all off by demanding, "It's already begun?" The general was pointedly eyeing the bloodied ribbon around his forehead.

"Glad ya noticed," Red sneered, before wincing. "But yeah, it's underway. So, what do ya suggest, oh great General? Should I just off myself now? God knows the Order's not gonna stand for it, bunch'a paranoid twats."

"What are you two going on about?" Kanda demanded, scowl set firmly in place.

"Bugger off now, the adults are speaking," Red offered him a nasty grin.

"He's right," Cross agreed, much to their astonishment. "All of you. _Out_." There was an incredulous pause, before they all finally began to shuffle out of the piano room in response to the general's frightening glower. Once they'd exited, he shut the door with a snap and turned to Red. "And?"

"And _what_?" Red huffed, fingers gently prodding at his temples.

"The choice is ultimately yours," Cross shrugged, lighting up a cigarette. "You can either come with us, or you can stay. Either way, it appears that your end has drawn near. Might as well do with it what you like."

Red froze. "What. The. Fuck? My _end_?" he forced through gritted teeth.

"Figures," Cross scoffed underneath his breath as he took a seat on the ivory couch. "That shadow you mentioned? That's Neah, otherwise known as the Fourteenth; the Noah of Destruction. This isn't your run-of-the-mill Noah reincarnation. Neah was killed by the Earl 35 years ago when he betrayed the Clan, but someone preserved his memories and implanted them within you. You're not going to suddenly gain the powers of a Noah, Red. Neah is going to wipe out whatever of you there is left, and use your body as his own."

For a long moment, Red didn't react, simply frozen in disbelief.

" _Get out_ ," he suddenly hissed. But when General Cross didn't immediately react, Red turned a fierce glower towards him, trails of blood seeping past the ribbon and spilling down his face, eyes flashing a molten gold as he shouted, " _I SAID GET OUT_!"

General Cross hesitated for only a second longer, before finally conceding. As he exited, Red caught sight the other Exorcists milling about, and with the growl, mentally commanded for the door to shut behind Cross. With a bang, the door slammed closed, the hinges quaking beneath the force of his command.

" _DAMN IT_!" Red snarled, whirling around and slamming his fists against the mirrored walls and causing a shower of shattered glass to cascade around him. In a fit of rage, he tore the room apart, flipping over and wrecking the piano, shattering the stool into mere shafts of wood when it was slammed against the wall, and kicking the sofa onto its side until it split and cracked beneath his ire. " _ARRH! THIS IS TOTAL FUCKIN' SHITE_!" he raved, dragging his fingernails along his temples and gouging at the blooming stigmata. " _BLOODY EXORCISTS! BLOODY NOAH! I HATE YOU! DO YA HEAR ME?! I HATE YOU!_ " Red shouted, voice growing hoarse as he stumbled to his knees. "I… I don't wanna die," he realized, voice rasping.

A huge, shaft of glass lay innocently at his knees, reflecting the grinning shadow at his back. Snatching it up, Red didn't pay any mind to the sharp edges slicing into his hands; instead, he brought it close, amber eyes glowering at the Noah. Red snarled, "I'm going to fuckin' kill you."

He was then snatched away from reality.

* * *

 _"Is that so, little vessel?" a soft, silky voice whispered._

 _Red's mercury eyes widened, as he came face to face with the Fourteenth Noah. Neah sat upon a throne, his figure swathe with chains_ _—with the exception of a single arm. The Noah's free hand was being used to grip the front of Red's shirt to draw him close. Belatedly, Red noticed that it was one of his own arms that rested upon the empty armrest and wrapped in chains, effectively keeping him from wrenching away from the Noah's grip._

 _"So_ you're _the Fourteenth," Red growled, eyes narrowed to slits._

 _"Hello, Allen," Neah chuckled._

 _"Shut the fuck up," Red snapped, teeth grinding. "I don't know what the fuck ya think you're doin_ _—"_

 _"I just thought we could have a little chat before you completely lost your sense of self," Neah murmured, eyes glinting mockingly._

 _"You think," Red hissed, "That I'm gonna allow a little fucker like you to take my place? Not a chance, Tyki 2.0. This is what I'm gonna do, ya bloody fuck. Whatever hold you have on me, you will lose, because I'm going to kill ya."_

 _"Really now?" Neah smirked, appearing amused. But Red didn't let it get to him._

 _"Yes, I'm going to fuckin' tear you to pieces if that's what it takes," Red snarled._

 _Neah's expression dimmed, but he still didn't appear the slightest bit frightened by him. "You're not strong enough," he simply stated._

 _"Then it's a good thing I have this little sucker with me, huh?" Red waved his free hand. "Innocence is the one weakness of all Noah, or am I wrong?"_

 _"You're not," Neah offered, still not appearing mildly threatened. "But it won't matter, because that frail limb of yours is only a fraction compared to the power that I hold."_

 _"See? That's the best part," Red grinned viciously, "That won't matter either, because as far as I see, you're_ weak _. Your memories, or whatever the fuck they are, haven't taken their hold on me yet. You've only just begun to awaken. You're at your weakest, and I'm not shittin' you when I say I'm going ta fuckin' take advantage of it."_

 _Finally, a small flash of fear crossed Neah's sunlit eyes. That was all the encouragement Red needed in order to make his advance. He didn't even bother to activate his weapon, and instead, dug his red, scaly hand right into Neah's chest._

 _"AAAGHHHHHHHH!" Neah shrieked, as Red mercilessly dug through flesh and bone painstakingly slow, until he finally took a hold of his heart. The area around Neah's chest became scorched and blackened from its exposure to the Innocence. And the heart clamped within his palm and fingers merely burned away to ashes._

 _"Huh. Not strong enough my arse," Red scoffed, backing away and wrenching his other arm from the brittle chains, wrinkling his nose once the rancid stench of burnt flesh hit it. "Ugh. What the hell am I suppose ta do with ya now?"_

 _Before him, the Fourteenth still sat, lifeless, amber eyes dimmed and unseeing. But the further he eyed the remains of the Noah, the more Red noticed how it was beginning to decompose into a mess of dark, wispy shadows. "W-WHAT THE HELL?!" Red shouted as he was suddenly smothered and shrouded beneath the darkness. "AHHH!"_

* * *

He wrenched awake. But the nightmare had only begun.

 _Ba-dump._

"A-AHH!" Red gasped, fingers curling into his hair, nails digging against his scalp as it pulsated in hot, white flashes, as if something were attempting to drill holes within his cranium.

 _Ba-dump._

Worse than before, it continued to puncture its way through until it split and cracked his skull, and the mere impressions of stigmata became magnified punctures. Blood spilled heavily like a hot downpour and splattered, staining all the white, crimson.

 _Ba-dump._

"AGH!" he whimpered past the blood pooling on his tongue, teeth grinding to the point of shattering as the vile wisps of Noah remains slithered throughout every part of his convulsing body, and like ice-cold spears, they cut him.

 _Ba-dump. Ba-dump._

" _MAKE IT STOP_!"

* * *

Minutes, hours, days—they mish-mashed into a meaningless blur.

Behind shadowed, unseeing gold eyes, memories flashed in blurred fractures. A wheat field; a mansion; a loving mother; a brother—these were the few, concrete images Red was able to glean from the onslaught of scattered, faded memories. Ultimately, he was more perplexed by Neah's memories and who the Noah was. Rather, Red had the vague notion that whatever Neah's story was, it would remain lost, and even he, who'd stolen Neah's power, would be none the wiser. But what did it matter?

"Fuck," Red gasped, and with a pained groan, he sat up. Eyes roamed the room. "That's sick," he muttered. The once broken and blood-splattered room had reset itself into the pristine, piano room it once was, the endless white practically blinding. Though the same couldn't be said for Red—most of the clothes Tyki had forced him to dress in were mere tatters. The only articles that remained somewhat intact were his button-up, trousers, and of course, his ever trusty combat boots. Even so, he was coated in his own blood.

"Guess I'm the real deal now," Red snorted once he stood and caught side of his appearance on the mirrored walls, referring to his demon-like appearance. His tanned skin was now faded to an ash gray, a row of black stigmata was nestled along his forehead, partially hidden by his dark thorns of red hair, and brilliant molten eyes of gold glowed amongst his dark features—the blood-stained, tattered clothes only enhanced his demonic bearing.

"Shite," Red cursed, stumbling and nearly collapsing. One hand braced against the wall, while the other clutched his stomach, limbs trembling weakly and head dizzy. "How long 'ave I been 'ere?"

The one thing that assured him was knowing he remained alone in the Ark. Cross must have used Timcanpy to exit the Ark with the rest of the Exorcists when Red went into a fit of temper. But as nice as it was to own his own pocket dimension in which Red could escape from humanity, that still begged the question of what he would do about food. Sardonically, Red thought that taking his appearance into account, he likely wouldn't be accepted anywhere with decent food. And he was currently too weak to be able to intimidate anyone.

 _I wonder…_ Red thought, recalling the table of food Road and Tyki had provided when they met with the Exorcists. _I wonder if like everything else, that too was salvaged._ It might've been a pathetic thought, but Red was desperate enough to hum out a quick tune, before stumbling over towards the door. And he was relieved to find that not only was he now atop the main tower of the Ark, but the dining table still stood, food fresh and warm atop it.

Ravenously, Red ate every single last bite of food. It was passable compared to Jerry's cooking, but starving as he was, he didn't take much note of that. Unfortunately, even once he'd cleaned every plate of food, his stomach still rumbled, demanding _more_. It might've not been enough, but it'd at least gifted him with enough energy to offer him strength. "Ugh, the Black Order was full'a uptight wankers, but I could at least 'preciate Jerry's cooking," Red despaired, slumping down on one of the chairs.

It was then, when he was a little more right in the head, that Red belatedly took note of how his left arm was trembling, feathers beginning to sprout from the scaly limb. "F-fuck!" he yelped, nearly toppling back. Recalling Suman Dark, the Fallen One, and Lenalee's account on what happened to those who betrayed the Innocence, Red did the rational thing.

With a snap and a crack, he severed his own arm.

"D-damn it!" he cursed, right hand gripping his throbbing left shoulder, eyes narrowed and glaring at the limb he'd tossed away. Oddly enough, it seemed removing the Innocence from his person had only worsened its state. The lone arm was practically convulsing, more feathers springing to life. "… What the hell?"

Wearily, Red staggered to his feet and stumbled forward. Nudging the arm with his foot, the redhead curiously observed the twitching limb. "What the hell is up with this thing?" he grumbled, frowning down at the Innocence. Not that he was planning on attaching it back. That wretched arm had been one of the reasons he'd had such a shitty childhood. S'not like he needed it. In fact, he'd probably be better off without it—

"AH! THE FUCK?!" Red shouted, trying to scramble back, only to fall back on his rear as his once-arm suddenly shot up and forced its reattachment. "G-GET AWAY FROM ME!" Red screamed, but no matter how much he yanked at the Innocence, it merely glowed brilliantly, stubbornly remaining fastened onto him. "B-bloody hell…" Red chocked out, watching wide-eyed as the once scaly arm suddenly smoothed out and darkened into a pitch black. Was the Innocence… Noah-fying?!

" _WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON NOW_?!"

But no one was around to answer his demands. For a long time, Red simply lied there, shocked into silence at the absurdity of the situation. What kind of fucking Innocence decided that it was taking 'no' for an answer?! Hell, what kind of Innocence remained chummy with a Noah?! Was the thing bloody sentient?!

Raising his left arm up high, Red observed it, gaze dull. "I wonder…" he murmured, before he, in a louder voice, commanded, "Innocence, activate!"

"Bloody hell," Red whispered, eyeing the deadly claws his fingers had arched into. Sitting up to observed it more closely, he then noticed the soft cloak fluttering around him. It was a pitch black and had a hood and mask attached to the back—at least, from what he could see through his peripherals.

"Huh. An Exorcist-Noah hybrid," Red murmured, "That's a first."

* * *

 **A/N:** So, what do you guys think should be Red's next step?

By the way, I wanted to make a note of something. Red's crazy actions in this chapter can be attributed to the fact that he didn't want some insane Noah killing him off. It doesn't necessarily mean that he's going to become a killing machine. I think where a lot of Noah!Allen fics go wrong, is when he loses every last shred of humanity, because where do you go from there? At that point, there's no character development to be gained. So, despite his newly found Noah status, committing murder is something that Red will have difficulty with—mainly for the reason that his Noah is only broken remnants of what it once was. He's not like the others. (Also, the reason why he didn't feel the need to go on a murderous rampage, lol.)

Phew! Sorry for the rant! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.(: Please let me know your thoughts in a review!^-^


	5. Hollow Heart

**A/N:** Whoa it's been a while since I've worked on this story. Everyone can go ahead and give a mighty thanks to **readwithcats** because her urge to write inspired me to write haha. Seriously though, she published a one-shot called **Amaranthine** and it's super good. So for all you Red-lovers, go give it a read and drop her a review. It'll totally make her day!(:

And a huge thanks to **WinterYule** , **readwithcats** , **Mana D. Campbell** , **lizyeh2000** , **jy24** , **MesuNeko** , **WTDMH** , **bibliophile030** , **Kuroi Rin** , **Kosho-rinnnn** , **Takei Daloui** , **Alice Nyte** , **CosmicPanda** , **Shinigami Merchant** (x4), **Baalphegor** (x3), **Lena-luvs-cats** , **Ryuakilover** , **HEAllbeeCat** , **dhyetaX1999** , **owlwho2** , and **Yuu,IJ** for all taking the time to review since I've been gone! As always, it's a pleasure reading your thoughts and ideas. Love you guys!(:

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Disclaimer** **:** Nope. Drawing isn't the career for me.

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Red's only show of shock was the lifting of his eyebrows. "Bloody hell, how long was I gone for?" Almost nostalgically, he roamed along the wrecked corridors, and was sometimes forced to jump over piles of rubble blocking his way. Red was beginning to think that the Black Order Headquarters had been completely abandoned, until he reached some of the higher levels. Without his Exorcist coat, none of the Finders or scientists paid him much mind, simply ducking around him as they lugged stacks of boxes around.

It was in the moment that Red was beginning to have second thoughts about returning, that someone shouted, "Red!" And before he got the chance to dodge, Lenalee had already launched herself into his arms, pulling a Road-esque hug on him. Fortunately, Lenalee was not as forceful, therefore Red remained standing, though stiff as it was.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Lenalee jumped back with a relieved grin, taking no note of his discomfort. "When the general told us that our safety came at the cost of your life… I-I…" Lenalee choked on her words, eyes watering. A mix of emotions swirled through her violet eyes, further working to discomfort Red. Finally, voice lowering to a whisper and tears streaking her cheeks, she repeated, "I'm just glad you're okay…"

Red sighed, irritated that after all this time, Lenalee still somehow managed to unnerve him. What would it take for her to understand that he was long past caring for others?

In the end, all he could to was roll his eyes and say, "Quit your whinging, woman. I didn't die. But I got pretty fucked up and it took a while to recover. Mind telling me what the hell I missed?" Red gestured towards the crumbling halls and packed boxes being carted around.

Wiping away all trace of her tears, Lenalee straightened up and purposely began to lead him forward, careful to avoid some of the collapsed pathways. Red had no choice but to follow as she briskly explained, "Before General Cross helped us escape from the Ark, he made one last pickup. Something called the Akuma Egg Plant. He then took us and the artefact, and used one the doorways from the Ark to get us back here to HQ."

"Ya mean you guys still have access to the Ark?" Red demanded, interrupting her report-like explanation. He was sure he had closed all access, but that hadn't been until after his hellish transformation.

"Not anymore," Lenalee shook her head, much to his relief, pausing to pick up a pile of empty boxes before continuing. "A few days after our arrival, the Ark gate, both here and in the Asian Branch, shattered. We assumed that the Ark had collapsed for good, but clearly that's not the case," she noted, eyeing him from the corner of his eye.

Red casually waved away her concern, "I'll explain later. Anyway, you nicked the Earl's toy, made it back, and…?"

"Right," Lenalee sighed, "That, combined with the death of a Noah by our hands, spurred the Noah into action. We were hit by a legion of Level 3's, the shape-shifting Noah Lulubell, and a Level 4." Red hardly had time to process that bomb drop, before Lenalee continued, voice choking up once more, "Many were lost. Many of our friends in the Science Division were… they became puppets of the Earl. Skulls. The Egg was destroyed. The Level 4 was defeated. But there was no victory."

Red was speechless.

"We're moving everything to the new HQ prepared by Central and the Vatican," Lenalee finally finished, as they paused before what Red used to recall being his old room. She set the empty boxes by his doorway. "I didn't allow them to toss your stuff. Why don't you go ahead and pack up? Break isn't for another hour. I'll come by and we can grab some lunch. Sound good?"

Red could only sigh in defeat when Lenalee hugged him once more. "Thank you for coming back," she whispered, before rushing off.

As he watched her go, he belatedly noticed that she was running around barefoot.

"Those're some ugly-arse ankle bracelets," he muttered, before trudging into his dark, dusty room. He didn't even bother flicking on the lights, and instead, collapsed onto his musty-smelling bed. "Home sweet home," the sarcastic words tumbled from his lips with a breathy sigh.

His thoughts swirled with Lenalee's words.

"Damn. What a cluster fuck," he decided. "I sure as hell would'a been useless. A fuckin' Level 4? Fuck."

After a few minutes of lying there uselessly, Red finally dragged himself back to his feet and flicked on the lights. Rummaging through his sparse clothing, he changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Bare feet's all the new rage," he decided, dumping his combat boots by the side of his bed. It took him about five minutes tops to pack up. After dumping all his clothes and underclothes into his old, faded backpack, he grabbed one of the boxes left behind by Lenalee and dumped the clown portrait and a few odds and ends he'd left lying around the room.

"Ugh. They'll pro'ly make me help out," Red grumbled, exiting his room and kicking the door shut.

"Oi, shortstack! Is that really you?"

Red glanced over to see Lavi and Kanda heading towards him. "Brill," he drawled under his breath, "Just what the circus needed."

"Wow!" Lavi exclaimed, rushing the last few steps and man-handling him for one second flat before Red succeeded in knocking his hands away. "It really is you! Who would of thought! And here I was feeling like crap knowing you gave your life up for us, despite all our fighting and griping. Lenalee was right; you really _do_ care after all," Lavi concluded with a massive grin.

Red had never felt so revolted in his life. (At least, that's what he told himself.)

"You're delusional," he deadpanned, "And for yer information, I didn't realize dying would'a been a side-effect. Also, I didn't die. So sod off."

"Aww no need to get so defensive," Lavi waved away his words, "Just accept our thanks." Elbowing the swordsman beside him, Lavi insisted, "Right, Kanda?"

Begrudgingly, Kanda muttered, "… Right."

"Whatever," Red rolled his eyes, "Where's my idiot Master? We need to clear some stuff up."

"We'll take you to him!" Lavi offered.

" _You'll_ take him," Kanda corrected.

Lavi ignored the interruption, "But only if you accept our sincerest thanks!"

Red sighed, eyeing Lavi's offered hand. "Doesn't look like I have much of a choice." Not when he had absolutely no sense of direction in this blasted maze of a tower.

With great reluctance, Red shook his hand.

* * *

As soon as he stepped into the room, a mess of golden feathers and sharp teeth crashed into his red thorns of hair. "Missed ya too buddy," Red murmured, scratching the ball of yellow, not even wincing when teeth nipped at his fingers.

"So the rumors were true," murmured the general, eyeing him from above his glass of wine. "Why the hell did you come back?"

"Yer all a bunch'a gossipmongers 'round here," Red scoffed, kicking the door shut. Strolling forward, he kicked back on the recliner across from the general. "Should'a trusted me a bit more. That fucker Neah? Killed 'im and absorbed his powers. He was pathetic," Red sneered.

Cross sipped his wine. "I see," he finally acknowledged, lips curling into the barest hints of a smile. "I'm impressed, idiot apprentice. I didn't know you had it in you."

Red felt a small swell of pride, despite his effort to smother it down. "'Course," Red shrugged. "By the way," he added, expression darkening, "What the bollocks are ya doin'? Did you fuckin' tell everyone I had to die to save them?!"

Without an ounce of remorse, Cross replied, "Yes. Couldn't allow my deceased apprentice to be remembered as the asshole nobody liked."

"Fuck off," Red grumbled, "It's the truth. Truth hurts. Get over it."

"And look at you now," Cross smirked, tilting his glass in his direction, "You've come back the hero! They love you. But most importantly, they feel indebted to you."

But Red couldn't care less. "That's real great. But I still don't give a bloody fuck."

"Right. In other news," Cross moved on, recognizing a stubborn mule when he saw one, "My plan has gone to shit. Time to improvise."

"Where d'ya think yer goin'?" Red demanded, jumping to his feet.

"I have to make an official report. Go join your little friends and help them pack this place up. We're moving out by the end of the week."

General Cross swept out of the room before Red could protest any further.

"Ugh," Red groaned, collapsing back onto the recliner. He then eyed the bottles of alcohol piled around him. Not all of them were empty. "Master hates sharing. I hate Master. What the hell I guess," Red sighed, grabbing a bottle.

"I'm gonna hate myself in the morning…"

* * *

New uniform in place, Tim nestled in his red hair, and bag slung over his shoulder marked him ready for the journey ahead. Red felt like a right duffer. At the least, he probably looked like one. But that wasn't the issue. Red blinked once more, hoping it was his imagination. It wasn't. "Who the fuck are ya?" he finally demanded, expression as blank as his comprehension of the situation.

The boy, probably not that much older than him, bowed and introduced himself, "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Howard Link and I'll be supervising you. I baked some pumpkin pie, please help yourself."

 _This guy is creepy_ , Red grimaced. "No thanks," he pushed past him, trying his best to ignore the warm, sweet smell of pie wafting up his nose. But he'd be damned if he allowed himself to be played so easily.

"Do you not like pumpkin pie? What about cherry? Maybe apple?" blondie briskly followed after him.

"If ya don't quit stalkin' me," Red growled, "I'll string ya up by your intestines and have Kanda crush ya like a piñata. Bugger off, will ya?"

Two-dots cleared his throat awkwardly, still trotting after him. "I have been ordered by Malcom C. Leverrier, an inspector of Central Agency, to supervise you from now until further notice. I cannot just 'bugger off' as you say."

Teeth gritted, Red released a frustrated noise and demanded, "Am I allowed to know why?"

From the corner of his eye, Red observed the way Link hesitated before answering, "The reason for such supervision is that you are suspected of being linked to the Fourteenth Noah."

Red barked out a dry laugh. "Really now? What a pile of stinkin' shite. I bet Cross is behind this. Whatever. But if ya get in my way, yer dead meat. Got it, _Supervisor_?" Red shot him a predatory grin.

Link appeared unfazed. "I assure you, my presence will in no way hinder your work as an Exorcist."

"Yeah, yeah," Red grumbled, "Gimme that pie, would ya already?"

* * *

 _Why the fuck did I come back?_ Red wondered, hands fisting at his sides. Ever since he'd arrived to the new HQ with the rest of the Exorcists, he felt like he was constantly being watched. Not only by the annoying blonde, but those cloaked figures were at every corner. For the first time, he didn't mind the presence of Lenalee, or Lavi, or even Kanda. At least that way, he didn't feel like he'd be abducted and killed at a moment's notice.

Most annoying of all was that he wasn't allowed to see the general.

"Oi," he called the attention of Link, "Is Master Cross done with all those fake meetings I'm sure he keeps attending. Because I've been 'ere for a bloody week, and I've yet to see the tosser."

 _I need ta know what's goin' on. What the hell does this Leverrier actually know? I shouldn't 'ave come back,_ Red thought furiously.

"As I've told you before," Link sighed, handing him yet another pile of paperwork, "General Cross is an important figure, and therefore, is obligated to complete a number of tasks around here. And yes, some of those include meetings. Nothing fake about them, I assure you."

Shoving the stack of papers back into two-dot's hands, Red sneered, "And I'm starvin', I assure you. We can do yer blasted paperwork later."

"Hey, Red!" Lenalee called, Lavi and Kanda trailing behind her, "Are you coming to dinner?"

"Count me in! Coming along, two-dots?" Red asked, snickering at Link's irritated expression.

"I'm so happy you're settling in okay!" Lenalee noted.

Red scoffed, "I'd settle in better if I could find the bloody general."

Ever since Red started being more receptive of Lenalee's gestures of friendship, her mood had brightened significantly. And much to Red's annoyance, he was sure if he told her the real reason behind it, she still wouldn't mind. _Why the fuck is she so nice?_ he wondered for the umpteenth time.

Red didn't react when he felt a slip of paper sliding into his pocket courtesy of Lavi.

"And I'm sick of two-dots trailing after me like a lost puppy. Though it's loads better than 'aving ta look at Leverrier's ugly mug," Red continued to complain. It was one of his many talents.

"There you go, shortstack!" Lavi grinned, slapping his back. "Way to look on the bright side!"

"Don't touch me."

"Err, right. Sorry."

* * *

Red waited until late into the night, when Link was deep asleep, to put his plan into action. Quiet as possible, he slipped out bed, pausing long enough to tug on his boots before sneaking out of the room. Once he was safely outside, he pulled out the map Lavi had handed him earlier, carefully eyeing the red trail that was meant to lead from his room to the general's room.

This was his last ditch effort to contact the general. Because if he had nothing worthwhile to say, Red was trashing his Exorcists uniform and going back to circus. He was sick of being treated like a criminal, and the longer it went on, the closer he came to snapping. And he had a feeling that a Noah snapping would involve bloodshed. And a lot of it.

"It's mainly a straight path," Red murmured, studying Lavi's directions, "Even I couldn't mess that up… Could I?"

Careful as possible, Red ambled down the hall and took the first right. From here on, it was meant to be a straight path that would lead him to the west wing. Confidently, Red strode through the corridors, keeping a careful eye out for any roaming CROWs. But to his disconcertment, the halls were vacant. Not a soul in sight.

Red was instantly on guard.

And when he arrived at the place where he was meant to turn right and reach Cross' room, he only found a dead end.

"Damn it all," he hissed, squinting the map and trying to find where he'd made a mistake. Part of him wished he could just blame it on Lavi, assuming he might be misinformed. But Red begrudgingly knew that the most likely case was that he was lost. "Aw fuck."

For another minute Red looked around him, trying to decide if he should just wing it and choose a different corridor to turn into.

 _BOOM!_

The gunshot echoed throughout the hall, and without a second thought, Red sprang into a run, following the source of the noise.

Skidding to halt before the pair of passed out guards, Red roughly kicked them aside and slammed open the door to General Cross' room.

Red's world slowed to a halt around him, his vision tunneling around the splatters of blood coating the shattered window. Stumbling forward, he lifted up his Master's revolver with trembling hands.

"What…?" he rasped, throat clenching.

"What have you done?!"

Head snapping up, Red pointed the barrel of the gun in Link's direction, and without a thought, fired.

* * *

 **A/N:** So what are your thoughts on this chapter? Once again, I was skipping around, trying to avoid repeating scenes from canon, because those are a bore to write. And probably a bore to read for you guys.

In any case, please drop a review!(: Until next time~.

 **P.S.** I think I threw some fan art for this fic on my Deviantart account a while back. My penname on there is **Midnight-Phantasma**. Be sure to check it out!(:


	6. Path of Bloodshed

**A/N:** Hey guys! I finished up finals last week so I finally got a chance to write!(: Unfortunately, it's just a filler chapter. Sorry about that, but hey, at least it's something!

Thank you to **readwithcats** , **Kyuubi's Death** , **MesuNeko** , **jy24** , **Shinigami Merchant** , **lizyeh2000** , **stardancer1000** , **Zakath1** , **Ryuakilover** , and **Kuroi Rin** for reviewing the last chapter! I really appreciate getting to hear your thoughts! Love you guys.(: Please enjoy!

* * *

 **Disclaimer** **:** Nope.

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

For a split second, Red couldn't comprehend what he'd just done, until he connected the dots between the revolver in his hand and Link's crumpled form. "Shite. Fuck. Fuck me. I'm so fucked," he hissed, tossing aside the gun as if it'd burned him. Red pointedly ignored the way his heart clenched when he caught sight of Cross' blood once more, and instead slung Link over his shoulder and rushed out of the room, crumpled map clenched in his other hand. By some miracle, he managed to stumble back into his room a few minutes later.

Carelessly, he tossed Link onto his bed and began to pace back and forth, teeth gnashing and fists clenched. On the upside, Cross' gun could only eliminate Akuma, so Link was alive, if a little bruised up from the bullet hitting him at close range. On the downside, two-dots would now believe that it was Red who had murdered Cross. "Ugh, this is fuckin' shite," Red growled, fist lashing out and striking the wall.

 _This place will soon be crawling with CROW agents. But who the hell would be daft enough to help me?!_ Red thought furiously. He was so frantic, he latched onto the first idea that hit him. Stalking back out into the hall, he hurried down the corridor until he reached the female side of the Exorcist sleeping quarters. Without a single care, he stormed into Lenalee's room. She shot up with a surprised shout at the sound of him kicking the door shut.

"R-Red! What are you doing?!" she demanded, shielding herself with her blanket.

But Red couldn't care less about her state of dress. For a moment he could only pace back and forth, until he spat out, "I need yer help." And didn't it just pain him to admit that? But he'd already come too far.

Blowing away a few strands of hair shielding her face, she stared at him pensively, hand still clutching the blanket to her chest. After a short, tense silence, her expression abruptly softened and she requested, "Explain."

Red groaned into his hands and collapsed back onto the chair positioned by her desk. "It's a clusterfuck, Lena," he growled, "All I was tryin' ta do was hunt down Cross so I could figure out what the bloody hell the man is up to now, but then… He's dead, Lena. Someone killed the damn bastard."

"What?!" Lenalee jumped out of her bed and jerked on her bathrobe. "General Cross… was killed? Oh Red… I'm so sorry," she whispered, kneeling by him and taking his hands into her own.

Red froze. "It's… it's whatever," he said gruffly, shaking her hands away. But she refused to move from his side. "That's not even the kicker. Two-dots caught me red-handed. He thinks I killed 'im."

"No," Lenalee gasped. "What… what did you do?"

Red scoffed, "I shot the tosser." When Lenalee paled considerably, he rolled his eyes. "Don't get yer knickers in a twist, woman. It was just Cross' gun, so it can't kill humans. Two-dots is currently taking a kip over in our room. But when that pillock wakes up, I'm fucked."

Red observed the way Lenalee's face slowly darkened. He didn't think he'd ever seen her wear such an expression. It was unsettling. Abruptly, he shot up from his seat.

"I 'ave to get the hell out of here. Before that bastard Leverrier fucks me over. That wanker's jus' lookin' for an excuse," he hissed, making his way towards the window.

"Wait," Lenalee suddenly called. When Red paused, she asked, "If I told you I could find a way to make him forget, would you stay?"

His eyebrows shot up. That was… unexpected. He'd come here because he thought her naïve enough to want to protect him. But seeing her do so didn't bring a feeling a superiority over her. It just… made him feel hollow.

"I don't think so," he finally answered, expression dark. "I only stuck around 'cause of Master Cross. Now that he's gone… I 'ave no reason to stay."

Red ignored Lenalee's hurt expression.

"And what will you go back to?" Lenalee whispered, "The circus? The Noah? Is that really what you want?"

Red sneered, "I dunno know what the fuck I want. And so what if I joined the Noah? I'd probably fit in better with them, don't ya think?"

"No. I don't think that at all. You're more human than you'd like to believe. Why else would you be so hurt by the death of Cross?" When Red didn't immediately reply, Lenalee said, "Please stay. We can be your family too."

Red's expression remained blank with emotion. "I gave up on havin' a family a long time ago," he bit out.

The silence became strained.

"What 'ave you got in mind?" Red finally ventured.

It took her a second, but when Lenalee realized he was willing to stick around a little longer, her demeanor brightened. "Right!" she nodded, straightening up, "Get back to your room. I'll meet you there in a little bit."

Wordlessly, Red nodded and headed back to his bedroom. Fortunately, Link was still passed out.

He was surprised with himself. With his head a little clearer, Red was beginning to regret his decision. "Should'a legged it when I had the chance," he sighed, collapsing onto his bed. "Now what?"

* * *

It felt like an eternity until Red finally heard hesitant knocking against his door. Lenalee yelped when she was suddenly yanked inside.

"Careful!" she warned, cradling a black, leather medical bag in her arms.

Red narrowed his eyes. "What's all that for?"

Lenalee nervously shifted from foot to foot and admitted, "For the drug I'm administering to him. If I'm not careful, I could kill him."

Red blinked. "That's shitty."

"Yeah… But it should be okay. I'm familiar enough to feel confident," she assured him, taking a seat on Link's bed and sifting through the bag.

"How familiar?" Red wondered, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

The dark-haired girl rolled up Link's sleeve, and as she began to dab rubbing alcohol along his upper forearm she quietly explained, "When I was little, I was brought here against my will. I wasn't cooperative. I struggled a lot and attempted to escape many times. So, they drugged me. A lot. Though it kept me calm and from hurting myself, a lot my memories were lost in the process. If I administer just the right amount, Link will be dazed for the rest of today and his memories will become fuzzy enough to become questionable."

Red observed as she carefully punctured his veins with a needle.

"Be sure to remove the band aid in a few hours," she advised, "This whole plan is fairly risky, as he might notice some things don't add up. At this point, all we can do is cross our fingers."

"I wouldn't worry," Red's lips twisted into a sharp grin, "I 'ave a hunch Link won't be feelin' too brill in the next few days."

Lenalee frowned as she began to store away the supplies she'd borrowed from the Hospital Wing. "Why do you say that? The drug isn't meant to last that long. And a too large dose is fatal."

"I dunno, Lena. Could be an improvement to his supper," Red mused.

"You want to lace his food," Lenalee clarified. Suddenly she drooped with exhaustion. "I don't know if I can go that far, Red. If we get caught…"

"Don't worry yer pretty head 'bout it. Just leave the bag 'ere."

"I… No. I'll keep it with me for now. Just in case. If you go through with it, you can come find it in my room," Lenalee decided.

"Suit yerself," Red shrugged, unfazed. Because if Lenalee thought that this was over, she was dead wrong.

* * *

"How is he doing?" Lenalee asked under her breath, eyes trained on her bowl of cereal. It had been nearly a week since the incident, and she had stubbornly remained by Red's side through it all. Through the interrogations; through the sudden influx of CROW agents flooding HQ; even through all the suspicious glares now pointed his way. Red may have been an Exorcist, but he had in no way gained the trust of anyone, with the exception of sweet, naïve Lenalee. But who needed the lot of them when he had an in with the Supervisor's sister? If he could learn to deal with Lavi's obnoxious goading, he could learn to deal with Lenalee's annoyingly sweet demeanor.

Though there were times where he honest to God wanted to smack some realism into the stupid girl.

"He's gettin' back on his feet," Red shrugged, referring to Link. What the duo hadn't counted on were the side-effects that the drug brought along with it. And so, Link had remained curled up on the bathroom floor most of the past week, either puking or being caught up in lucid dreams. The plan turned out to be more perfect than they'd intended. Link couldn't recall anything from that night, let alone accuse him of a crime he hadn't committed.

"How relieving," Lenalee sighed, most likely feeling guilty from all the drugs she'd laced into Link's food.

Red had to admit, he hadn't thought her capable of such deceit. For the umpteenth time, Red checked to make sure Timcanpy remained nestled in his hair. It was a pain having to keep an eye on the depressed golem, when Tim insisted on revisiting the site of the murder scene.

"Prick had it comin' to him," Red offered her a careless shrug, absentmindedly stroking Tim's feathers, miffed with all the paperwork two dots forced him to fill out.

"Who had it coming to him?" Lavi popped up, breakfast tray in hand and a sunny grin in place. Ever since his return, Lavi had been treating him as if they were the best of buds. Red was on the verge of pulling something that would remind the idiot redhead that they were in no way friends.

"That bloody wanker Cross," Red smirked viciously. To his disappointment though, Lavi didn't even flinch.

"Aww, we all know you don't mean that shortstack," Lavi patted his shoulder faster than Red could react.

"Bloody hell I do," Red hissed, stabbing his food with a fork.

"Honestly Red, just eat your food," Lenalee sighed, exasperated. "Every Exorcist has to be in Training Ground B by 10 AM. Come on you two, hurry it along and eat up."

"Yes Ma'am!" Lavi saluted her.

Red rolled his eyes and shoveled more food into his mouth, fed-up with the thought of having to socialize.

* * *

Already it had been two miserable months since Master Cross' assassination.

As if to remind him, Timcanpy begin to replay the recording… " _Hey Red… Come to think of it, I've never asked you this before, but… Do you like Tim? I asked you to keep hold of him for me, but… To be honest, I was always planning on giving him to you._ "

"Tim, would you cut it out?" Red hissed, breath escaping his lips in puffs of white. The castle was freezing in the middle of December and the coldness of the stone ledge where he was curled up on seeped through his pants and coat like ice. He didn't dare lean against the frosted glass of the massive castle window.

" _I've told Tim he can do as he likes from now on,_ " Cross' voice continued to bounce and echo throughout the lone corridor, " _You may not want to listen to me, knowing that I'm carrying on the Fourteenth's Will. But in case you're thinking you're being made to walk a path that the Fourteenth and I chose for you… I just want to tell you that you're wrong._ "

Red scoffed bitterly. "You're fuckin' dead. What the hell does it matter now?"

" _A path is something you create it as you walk it. The ground you've trodden hardens, and that's what forms your path,_ " Cross continued in a tone that was so contradictory to every memory Red had ever formed of him. " _You're the only one who can create your own path._ "

And every syllable uttered was like a stab through his chest.

" _So stop wearing the mask of "Red." Recall who you were before me; before the circus. Don't allow the Order or the Noah to form your path. Walk on your own. If you haven't given up yet, that is._ "

Silence engulfed the lone corridor once more. Red pressed his fingers against his eyes, shielding gold, teeth gritted tightly until the back of his head began to ache. "Damn you," he snarled, fist lashing out.

 _Crack!_

The thick glass shuttered and cracked beneath his clenched hand.

Because Cross was right. What the hell was he still doing here, allowing himself to be a puppet of the Black Order?

"There you are," Link suddenly appeared at the base of the hall. "Now's not the time to be running off. Supervisor Komui has called for you. A debriefing for a mission I believe."

Red took a moment to make sure his eyes had lightened to mercury once more, before he lifted his head and offered Link a nasty grin. "Of course. Wouldn't want ta keep 'im waiting."

* * *

 **A/N:** So the mission Link is referring is the Phantom Thief G Arc. I am still debating whether I will actually be including that in here. There are a few cons and pros that I see with it, but I still remain unsure. Let me know what you think though! And for anyone who is impatient with Red having not join the Noah yet, just give me a little more time please! While having Red just up and going to join them is technically a possibility, I want to make it a little more dramatic than that.

Once again, sorry for the filler chapter. But please let me know your thoughts and suggestions in a review. Until next time!(:


	7. Eyes of Death

**A/N:** After much thought, I decided to include the second half of the Phantom Thief G Arc. Though it offers nothing plot-wise, it'll allow me to rectify a few things. The main one being Red's combat abilities. Following the aftermath of his Exorcist/Noah transformation, the changes were never formally introduced in battle, so I figure this will be my last opportunity before the rest of the plot is set into motion.

This chapter will pick up the where the crew locates Timothy in the orphanage (chapter 175). Anything prior, I will leave as canon. Though as you might imagine, Red's dialogue would be a smidge different from Allen's… But I'll just leave that to your imagination!^-^

And before I forget, a big thank you to **readwithcats** , **Galimaufry** , **abSoLUte234bBq** , **jy24** , **Yume Nijino** , **Shinigami Merchant** , and **Kamui Senketsu** for your fantastic reviews! They were a joy to read. Thanks as well to my new followers. Love you all!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Disclaimer** **:** Even after all these years, I am in no way owner of these characters or franchise. Though I feel like at this point, I should at least own a bit of the share, haha.

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Chapter 7

* * *

 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Shielding his eyes from the bright, morning sunlight, Red squinted up at massive brick building they stood in front of, reading, "'Hearst Orphan Asylum'? The hell? Ya mean ta tell me that we were duped by some orphan twit? This is fuckin' unbelievable…"

"Tch. You sure this is the right place, Marie?" Kanda asked, face twisting into an irritated scowl.

Marie appeared just as confused as the rest of them. "Yes, this is where G's cries stopped last night after the failed heist."

"Let's just get this over with," Link suggested, for once in a foul mood.

Red snickered. "Ya still upset about last night, two-dots?" he goaded Link as they headed up the front door steps. "I thought ya could at least handle a minor beat down. But I guess—"

Before Red had a chance to react, the front door swung open and the body of small boy flew out, slamming straight into him. Their foreheads struck each other with a painful crack and then their bodies flung down the steps in a mess of tangled limbs.

With a groan, Red blinked his eyes open, his head thrumming in pain. "… Bloody fuckin' hell," he hissed, squirming against the ropes binding him to the small brat. "What the fuck did I miss?" He was no longer outside the orphanage. Rather, him and the orphan brat were stuck on the floor of the parlor, bound together while Kanda and Marie sat on the sofa, across from a nun and the inspector's annoying daughter. As usual, two-dots stood beside him.

"It appears that the boy, Timothy, has the power to take control of other people's bodies at will," Link filled him in, "When he ran into you, he accidentally took over your body."

"Ew, gross. I don't want some snotty little nitwit possessing me," Red groused.

"Who you calling a snotty little nitwit, you miserable freak?!" Timothy shouted back, struggling even harder to escape the ropes.

Instantly, Red decided he hated the brat who acted too much like him when he was that age.

"Freak? That's real clever," Red rolled his eyes, and then ordered, "Timcanpy!"

" _Ouch_!" Timothy cried when the golem mercilessly bit his nose. "That hurts…" he blubbered, tears streaming down his face while Red snickered.

"Excuse me? Are you serious?" Red heard the disbelieving voices of the nun and Emilia. Ignoring Timothy's sniveling, he zoned back into the conversation.

"Well…" Marie tried to appease them, "I know it's hard to believe—"

"But he admitted to it," Kanda said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Admitted it…? You had a sword at his throat! I don't know what the Black Order or Exorcists are, but you can't just do something like that to a _child_!" the nun scolded him.

Kanda was unrepentant. "If he'd listened, I wouldn't have had to."

Emilia's face grew red with indignation. "You think just because you're pretty you can get away with anything?!"

"I'm sorry," Marie quickly intervened, "He doesn't know what he's saying. I apologize."

While they squabbled above him, Red glared at the creepy looking nun that observed them from the shadows. The moment they made eye contact, Red offered her a nasty grin, and she paled considerably, quickly exiting the room. Still, something about her made Red's hair stand on end. Could she be an Akuma…?

"… Emilia, you kicked his associate in the head, so you are not any better."

"Oh… Right. Sorry."

Red shook his head and turned back to the argument at hand.

"Timothy's father was a thief Inspector Galmar arrested. Once, when Timothy was young, his father made him swallow a jewel he stole, in order to hide it. But when his father was arrested, the inspector brought Timothy here. By then, he was already as you see him now," the nun explained, gesturing towards the blue stone embedded in the center of Timothy's forehead.

"Look, let's just cut ta the chase," Red butted in, "The pipsqueak is clearly an Accommodator of the Innocence. So, the brat is comin' with us. End of story."

"And if you're wrong?!" Emilia demanded with a defiant glare.

"Then ya can 'ave 'im back," Red rolled his eyes.

"Otherwise," Kanda added, "He'll become an Exorcist of the Black Order."

" _No_!" Timothy suddenly shouted. "You can't decide for me! You're just like my dad! Treating me like a thing… I want to stay here! I won't leave, even if you kill me!"

"Listen brat, I don't care," Kanda huffed, "If we have to drag you—"

"Forgive me! He doesn't know what he's saying," Marie pointedly cut him off.

"Mother!" Timothy burst into tears once more.

The nun sighed. "You can't make him."

"That's right! Have you no heart?!" Emilia cried.

"Maybe we should wait for Komui's orders," Marie suggested.

Abruptly, the sky outside darkened.

"Shit," Kanda cursed, when they found that the town outside had vanished.

"It disappeared?!"

"No, we're inside a barrier!"

In quick succession, Red had Timcanpy cut through the rope and activated Crown Clown, the black cloak shielding himself and the boy as the Level 4 Akuma crashed through the building, causing debris to rain over them. The children were screaming, and Red and Kanda were quick to intercept the path the of the Level 4 Akuma. With a thunderous kick, the Level 4 was tossed across the room like a ragged doll.

For the first time since he'd returned to the Black Order, Red attempted to access the Ark. Surprisingly though, he was met with a resistant force that appeared to stem from the barrier they were trapped in. _Damn, I think I can still access it, but it'll be harder than I thought,_ Red mentally growled, because nothing, no Skull or Akuma alike could trump the powers of a Noah. Not even hybrid scum like him.

"I need everyone to gather together now!" Red barked out the order, "I only have one shot at this!"

But everyone seemed too stunned to listen to him, especially his fellow Exorcists. They'd never seen him take a fight seriously before. But Red wasn't about to have the lives of a bunch of children and women on his conscious, so he snarled out, "Now!"

While Marie battled against the Level 4, Emilia and the head of the orphanage gathered together the children, too frightened to protest.

"Red!" Link called, "What are you planning?!"

"Don't worry about it, two-dots," Red hissed, fighting against the barrier trying to quell down his powers.

In the moment that Red unlocked the Ark Gate, three things happened.

First, a Level 2 Akuma appeared out of nowhere, targeting Timothy, who was held between Emilia and the creepy nun from before.

Second, Link intervened, pushing all three out of the way of the psychopathic Akuma.

Third, the orphanage children, the head nun, Link, and the Level 2 Akuma all disappeared into the gate, before it snapped closed once Red could no longer keep it opened.

"Fuck. That didn't go as planned," Red scowled, just Marie crashed beside him and Kanda. "We'll just 'ave to hope Link can handle the stinkin' Level 2."

"He'll be fine," Kanda decided, "Marie, protect the kid. Beansprout and I will take care of the Level 4."

Before Red could protest against the insulting nickname, a barrage of blood bullets, courtesy of the Level 4, rained down upon them. While Marie ran off to keep Timothy safe, Red and Kanda dodge the onslaught of missiles. If it weren't for his cloak, Red was sure he would have already succumbed to the Akuma virus. Out of corner of his eye, he noticed another Level 2 and a Level 3 ganging up on Marie. "Bloody hell. Timcanpy, go and help those bastards, would ya?"

The golem was gone in a flash of golden feathers.

Once the Level 4 exhausted its ammunition, Red and Kanda regrouped.

Kanda readied Mugen, and Red, Crown Clown. "On the count of three, we attack," Red hissed, pitch black cloak flaring behind him. "One…" For once, he was apprehensive. He'd never even gone up against a Level 3, let alone a Level 4. "Two…" He was fucked. But if Lenalee could go through and defeat both levels of Akuma, then Red certainly wasn't going to be a sissy about it. "Three!"

"AGHHHH!" Red ran beside the girly-haired samurai, deathly claws poised to attack. But the Level 4 was ready for them. With the manic grin, the Akuma caught Mugen in its bare hands. Red managed to rake his claws through the side of the demon's face, before Kanda was abruptly slammed into him and they both crashed though the building in an explosion of bricks and mortar.

With a pained hiss, Red stumbled back onto his feet in time to witness the Level 4 flying straight for him. He braced himself, and last minute, dodged to the side, spinning and stabbing his claws through the back of the Akuma.

" _Mugen_! _Three Illusions Style_!" Kanda prepared his attack.

But the Akuma wasn't having it. Red was abruptly tossed aside by the angered demon, as it unleashed another torrent of blood bullets upon Kanda, momentarily bringing the swordsman down.

"Dying would be so much easier," the Level 4 snarled, "But you're still acting so foolishly!"

"What? Ya expect me ta surrender at yer feet like a bitch?" Red scoffed, dragging himself to his feet once more. For the time being, kitchen-knife boy was out of commission, and it would be up to Red to deal with this crazy bastard. "Don't fuckin' kid yerself."

"You sure are persistent," the Akuma hissed, suddenly shoving the barrel of its canon-like limbs in his face.

"Shit!" In the nick of time, Red flipped backwards over the firearms, feet planting against the demon's face, viciously shoving the Akuma into the ground.

The Akuma quickly retaliated, grabbing Red by the calves and flinging him down. This was followed by his fist crashing into Red's gut, forcing the redheaded Exorcist to cough up blood. "Fuckin' hell," Red gasped, clutching his head. He'd slammed it so hard against the ground, he was sure he had a concussion.

"Say goodbye, Exorcist," the Level 4 giggled.

Red glanced up to see the barrel of its gun in his face once more. But this time, Red was too exhausted to attack. The anger and frustration were beginning to bubble up inside him, and Red could feel the silver in his eyes drowning in a flush of gold, much to the astonishment of the Akuma. Eyes narrowing into an ugly scowl, Red commanded, "Destroy yourself."

"What…?" The Akuma stumbled back, firearms retreating as it gripped its head in confusion. "No…!"

"Crown Clown," Red ordered as he stood up, and he could feel the Innocence further synchronizing. With ease, Red retrieved the Sword of Exorcism for the first time, and placed the tip of the massive sword against the Level 4's chest. " _Destroy_ _yourself_ ," he hissed.

"How… How _dare_ you?" the Akuma grinned maniacally, cracks appearing along its face as it involuntarily followed the commands of a Noah.

"Or would ya rather I do it for ya?" Red smirked, digging the sharp point of his sword into its chest.

For a single, drawn out moment they remained at a standstill.

But suddenly, the sharp blade of Mugen sliced through the Akuma, tearing the demon apart in half, before it detonated, the shockwaves of the explosion reverberating throughout the endless black of the barrier they still remained trapped in.

"Quit standing around, sprout!" Kanda ordered, "Marie is still in trouble!"

Red blinked away the gold from his eyes, before making eye contact with the other Exorcist. "Fuck, Timothy's probably dead."

That spurred both of them to sprint back towards the orphanage. They arrived just in time to witness a cloaked figure unleashing a black vortex and consuming the Level 3 Akuma. The Level 2 Akuma from before was nowhere to be found.

"… Who the bloody hell are you?" Red demanded with a huff, exhaustedly leaning against his sword. Though further observations revealed that the guy was probably a CROW agent. But how he managed to pass through the barrier remained unexplained. Then again, Red had managed to get past the restrictions of the barrier in order to rip open an Ark Gate, so the guy probably found a loophole.

And it appeared as though both the brat and Emilia had survived. Though he couldn't say the same for the nun lady. Her remains were quite gruesome.

"She was a Broker," Marie commented, as if he could sense were Red's gaze had landed on.

Red shrugged off his words. "Whatever."

"Have all the threats been eliminated?" Kanda thought to double check.

"Yes. Our friend here came just in time to finish off the Level 3. And Timothy activated his Innocence and managed to take the Level 2 down," Marie reported, "Though Emilia has sustained a few heavy injuries."

Red could feel the barrier growing weaker, as if someone were interfering from the outside.

"Then if we're gettin' out of here…" Red trailed off and with a snap of his finger, ripped open another Ark Gate, spilling out all the children, head nun, and a slightly injured Link, before the gate shrunk and disappeared. "My bad," Red grumbled, as he watched the dazed group pick themselves up off the ground. "I'm assumin' the Level 2 wasn't a problem for ya, two-dots?" Red smirked.

"The children and I were just fine," Link replied, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "Red, where exactly did you send us off to?"

Suddenly, everyone in the room was staring at him, curious of the answer, with the exception of Kanda and Marie, who knew exactly what his abilities implied.

"Ah, ya know, just another one of Crown Clown's nifty tricks. Havin' access to a pocket dimension is quite handy, don't ya think?" Red grinned. To his shock, neither Kanda nor Marie contradicted him. Though Link still remained skeptical.

"I never read anything of this so-called ability in the reports," Link replied.

Red scoffed. "Reports? For fuck's sake, Link—"

"H-hey!" Timothy shouted, "The barrier's been taken down!"

Just as he said it, sunlight began streaming into the half-destroyed building and Inspector Galmar stepped into the main hall where they had all gathered.

"… Why are you all covered in blood?!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I think if this weren't labeled a Tragedy, I would love to develop the dynamic between Red and Timothy. Writing their interaction at the beginning was pretty cool and it'd sure be a lot of fun getting to develop that! If anyone's interested, I might publish a spin-off separately from this, so as not to interfere with the ongoing plot. Let me know if you're interested, and if I get enough readers, I'll whip something up for you guys!(:

And I apologize if the battle stuff was terrible. Writing combat isn't my forte. But hey, if you consider yourself an expert, let me know where I can make improvements!

Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter! I'd really appreciate it! Until next time, my lovely readers.^-^


	8. In the Face of Treachery

**A/N:** Hello everybody! I apologize, I know I haven't been active on this site since last year, but I was busy with school this past spring, and currently, summer. School comes first, though I probably shouldn't have signed up for so many class. :/

Big shout out to **readwithcats** , **lizyeh2000** (x2), **Galimaufry** , **Yuu. IJ** , **Tanya The Evil** , **jy24** , **abSoLUte234bBq** , **HagikasaHoshiko** , **Kamui Senketsu** , **Halesia Carolina** , **tunasalad** , and **lovleydragonfly** for your awesome reviews! And thank you to everyone who favorited and followed while I was gone!(:

Enjoy!^.^

* * *

 **Disclaimer** **:** I own nothing!

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

Brilliant red hair stuck to his slick forehead as he dodged left—

right—

roundhouse kicked Marie, except he wasn't there anymore—

dodged to the left—

flipped back—

ducked down—

grabbed Marie's fist and flipped him onto his back with a thunderous crack.

"Fuck," Red panted, wiping at the sweat stinging his eyes.

Marie emitted a pained groan as gingerly pushed himself to his feet. "Go a little easy on me, Red, I don't know how much more my back can take."

"If the old geezer Bookman can beat the shit out'f Kanda with both hands tied behind 'is back," Red huffed, leaning down to snatch his water bottle, "Then ya got nothin' ta bitch about."

"Eh, you may be right," Marie smiled sheepishly, easily catching the water tossed to him as he listened to the devastation caused by Kanda and Bookman's ongoing spar.

"Ready for round three?" Red grinned viciously, chucking his bottle aside and—

darted to the right—

sidestepped Marie's fist—

flipped over his kick and—

" _Ooof_!" Red flew across the training ground, the wind knocked of him, and crashed into someone with a harsh smack.

"Shit—"

And once again, he was slammed back across the span of the grounds until a stone pillar intercepted his form, shattering beneath the force of his descent. "Fuckin' hell!" Red snarled as he slammed back onto the floor, Innocence activated, the black cloak shielding him from any major damage. His head pounded as though it'd been cracked open, blood spilling across the left side of his face. Ducking around Marie, Red charged towards the unknown assailant, claws extended as he pounced.

"Red!" Link shouted, rushing after him. But it was too late.

The man—he was older, massive, with dark, nondescript features, and even darker hair. The familiar two dots marking his forehead only served to piss Red off even more.

"Goushi! Stop!" Screeched a younger girl who'd remained hidden behind him, up until Red ran his claws through Goushi, piercing him and slamming him into the ground below so brutally the stone cracked and exploded into chunks of concrete, a layer of dust settling over them. Ripping out the hooks of his weapon from Goushi's gut, Red plunged to one side, barely avoiding the massive vortex that was unleashed upon him from the man that should have been dead.

"Red!" Link hissed once more, dragging him back, "Deactivate your Innocence! _Now_!"

Stiffly, Red watched through narrow, rage-filled eyes as Goushi calmly picked himself up, the wounds inflicted upon him fully healed in the blink of an eye, as if Red hadn't touched him. The damaged grounds around them being the only evidence that the scuffle had taken place.

"What is the meaning of this, Goushi?!" Link shouted, "Red is currently my responsibility. What justification do you people of CROW have for laying your hands upon him?"

Suddenly, Red noticed how a stiff silence had settled over the training grounds as everyone eyed the newcomers warily. Timcanpy fluttered by his shoulder in a distressed manner.

"Inspector Howard Link…" Goushi murmured, his distorted arm pulsing with a weird dark energy that felt oddly familiar to Red.

"Reverse your activation, Goushi," the girl beside him ordered, eyes narrowed as she gazed at Link and Allen. Not unlike Goushi, she had markings beneath her eyes and dark braids tied off with bulbed clips framing her face. She was tiny, and the darkness in her expression reminded Red keenly of Road.

"Are you trying to earn yourself a lecture from Madarao on your first day here," the other boy beside him sighed, exasperated. Though the ominous look in his eyes when he briefly glanced at Red served to put him on edge.

And he hadn't yet deactivated his Innocence. In fact, Red noticed some of the other Exorcists closing in behind him, hands closing around their own weapons.

"Our apologies, Red," the boy with the green hair spoke, voice slicing like a knife through the thick silence that had settled once again, as each group eyed each other warily. "As beings who have been converted into half-Akuma through means of genetic engineering, we do not react well to Innocence. Please forgive us."

"Bloody hell," Red's rough voice echoed loudly throughout the chamber, "Yer even bigger freaks than we are!" _And here I was thinkin' being half-Noah was bad_ , Red mentally grumbled. "And what? If ya get pissed off, do ya feed on each other too?" Red sneered.

It was the small girl who spoke up. "If you're referring to cannibalism, then yes."

Red was pretty sure that he wasn't the only with the _What the fuck?_ expression on his face. And a glance around proved that yes, he wasn't the only one.

"Yeah, this place is goin' ta shite."

* * *

The appearance of the Third Exorcists had given Red a bad feeling in the pit of his gut. Once more, he'd been tempted to make a run for it, but had stupidly held back, curious as to what mayhem the newcomers might cause. It was in the middle of Jordan, when their mission had gone south as armies of Akuma had swarmed them, followed closely by the Noah that Red realized just how much of a clusterfuck it had become.

 _Fuckin' shit, I should'a legged it sooner_ , Red mentally hissed as he and Timcanpy were launched through the Noah Ark. Not _his_ Noah Ark, but the new one, recently created by the Noah. On the other side of the gate, Red unexpectedly found himself at the center of attention, surrounded by Noah and Order Personnel alike, in what appeared to be the North American Branch.

"I can already tell this is goin' ta be a shite show," Red grinned nastily, as Timcanpy calmly settled on his shoulder, digging his heel into the face of the Noah he'd landed on. Mercury eyes carefully observed each person in the chamber, until his gaze landed on Kanda's crumpled form and eventually, the crippled Third Exorcist Tokusa. "Bloody brilliant," Red laughed with an ugly sneer, "You _almost_ managed to reassemble the team from Jordan." Apart from Link and Madarao, from what Red could tell. "So I'll bite—what kind'a botched plan is this?"

"Nothing botched about it, I assure you, boy," Tyki smiled, eyes crinkling.

Red noted the changes in the Noah since he'd last seen him. He wrinkled his nose. "What's with the girly hair and the whorish outfit?"

For a second, Tyki floundered, insulted by Red's words, before smoothing his expression. "I see your manners haven't improved much since we last met."

"And I'd be a little more careful this time around," chimed in another Noah, who looked like he could be Tyki's older brother. "After all, all the humans in this room are under _my_ control."

"And?" Red replied blandly. The Noah appeared a bit put off and when they didn't immediately rebuff him, he jeered, "You could kill them right now for all I care. Go on. It'd be a good riddance."

"R-Red," one of the members among the scientists who appeared to originate from the European Branch whimpered.

Red didn't bat an eyelash.

"While I appreciate our common opinion on the killing of useless sub-humans, I'd appreciate it more if you were to quit standing on our Millenium Earl," the older-Tyki pointed out.

"Eh?" Red glanced down, and once he lifted his foot, caught sight of the Earl's dazed expression. "Oops."

"Lad," Tyki grinned as soon as Red had hopped off the Earl, "We came to retrieve you, you know?"

"Huh? Again? Not interested," Red shot him down without a second thought. _At least, not yet._

"H-hey!" Red snarled when the Earl abruptly seized him by the hair and slammed him to the ground with an audible _crack_.

"My dear Red, we'll make sure you _never_ return to your Order~," the Millenium Earl hissed leaning close to Red, massive grin ever in place, "You see, I've figured it out~. You aren't the Player the Fourteenth left behind~. You are in fact, the Fourteenth himself~!"

"Understand _now_ , boy?" Tyki stressed, standing at the right of the Earl.

"I must admit I was fooled by your clown antics~," the Early chuckled.

All this rolled through Red's mind and he couldn't help but burst into laughter. _Well if they didn't suspect me of being some watered-down version of the Fourteenth before, they definitely do now_ , Red concluded, all too aware of the Black Order witnesses standing at their feet. "Damn, you got me Millenie, you really did," Red sneered, eyes briefly flashing a piercing gold. "But what the hell do ya want from me? Huh? If I'm not the Order's puppet one second, I'm bein' expected ta do yer dirty work the next. And ya know? I'm gettin' real sick and ti _RED OF GETTIN' YANKED AROUND LIKE FUCKIN' BITCH_ —"

 _CRACK!_

The moment Red slammed his skull against the Millenium Earl's, he shoved the massive figure back, and pushed himself back onto his feet with a pained hiss. "Damn, yer heads harder than a fuckin' rock," Red groused, rubbing at his forehead.

"My head!" the Earl whimpered.

It was in this moment that Kanda regained the last of his senses and attacked.

Of course, it could only go downhill from there. Though Red managed to regroup with Kanda (was that Road in the form of a doll gripped in his hand?) and Tokusa, their only exit was blocked by the metal pipes ripped out from the tank below their feet.

"Red, we will make it so that you abandon the Order yourself~!" the Millenium Earl declared, laughter in his voice, "Today we hold a party in celebration of your treachery~!"

Red ignored him. "What the hell is that thing?" Red gestured towards the mangled form of Alma Karma that hung amidst the jumbled mess of ducts and pipelines. For once, Kanda appeared to agree with him, which somehow left everyone else dumbfounded.

"Am I missin' somethin'?" Red grumbled, going ignored as everyone else around him argued and fought over the turn of events.

"Let Alma himself prove it to you!" the Noah with the white hair wrapped in a turban announced, drowning out the rest of the shouting around them. "As I said in the beginning Yuu Kanda, I'm going to use your brain to awake Alma Karma."

Unexpectedly, Red found himself, along with Road, torn from his current state of existence and into the memories of Kanda.

* * *

"Shite, the hell did I do ta deserve this?" Red grumbled, passive eyes watching the story of Kanda unfold before him.

"Aren't you curious at all?" Road giggled, clinging to his side.

Red quickly yanked them aside in time to dodge the body slamming through the concrete wall, the forms of Alma and Kanda not pausing for a second as they fought and quite literally tore each other to pieces.

Road gazed at Red's cool expression, eyes brightening. "Could it be that you really don't care at all?"

Red scoffed. "Damn right. The fuck does this 'ave ta do with me?" Mercury eyes dimmed, scenes quickly shifting, observing as Kanda was forced to synchronize with the Innocence, his screams reverberating throughout the chasm.

"What about the Bookman Junior?" Road wondered, weaving her fingers through his.

"Hm? What about 'im?" Red asked. Memories flitted by and soon it became Kanda and Alma's pained laughter that echoed and bounced from the stone walls.

"Do you care about him?" the petite Noah pushed.

"Fuck no," was Red's automatic reply. Internally though, he wondered if that was overly harsh. Lavi was obnoxious at the best of times and a complete dumbarse at the worse. But Red had met lousier people than him.

In quick succession, Red watched Kanda spending time with Alma, succumbing to his hallucinations, collapsing and being quarantined, before he slipped into a coma.

"And what are your feelings towards Lenalee?" Road ventured, tightening her grip on his hand.

For a drawn out moment, Red didn't reply. Road couldn't help but wish for Wisely's abilities in that moment—couldn't help but wonder what thoughts flitted behind his pained eyes.

Eventually though, Red spit out, "That bitch can go ta hell." It was too harsh, almost as though Red wished the words to be true.

But Road pushed past her doubts and pressed closer against him as they witnessed Alma stumbling through a lone corridor, Kanda slumped on his back. "Then why are you wasting your time in the Black Order?"

Red shrugged. "I got nothin' better ta do."

CROW agents surrounded them. Somehow, Alma managed to toss Kanda down into the canals, who then escaped and encountered Marie and Bak along the way. However, he was found and captured once more.

"But Red," she intoned, "We're your family. Your place is by our side."

His harsh laughter startled Road. "Really?" he jeered, "Then where was my family when I was kicked out'f the orphanage? Or when I was livin' on the streets? What about when I was in the circus, beaten half ta death by Cosimo? Where the hell were ya when I was taken in by a General of the damned Order? Fuck if I know."

Road's molten eyes dimmed, and she had no answer to give him. In silence they listened to Kanda's tortured screams, until they became muted as the memories shifted and suddenly they were watching Alma escaping and discovering the original bodies of the long-dead Exorcists.

"Alma Karma's memories... Proof that he's waking up," Road murmured, hardly reacting when Alma slaughtered every last standing CROW agent. "So what do you think of your precious Order now, Red? Not at all what they make themselves appear to be."

It was Red's turn to be rendered silent. The bloodbath in the aftermath of Alma's massacre of every scientist involved in the Second Exorcist Project, and then Kanda slaughtering his best friend, was a harrowing experience. But not for the reasons one might think. With one hand intertwined in his, Road was the first who noticed the trembling of his hands.

"Red…?"

"Damn," he cursed, gripping his face, a haze of bloodlust threatening to topple his grip on reality. Silver drowned beneath gold, stigmata emerged along his brow, and his normally tanned skin paled and darkened into a corpse gray. Road's grip was the only thing keeping him grounded—keeping him from succumbing to his baser urges. His desire to spill blood was overwhelming—almost euphoric. "Road," he hissed through gritted teeth, "What is this…?"

Road reached with her other hand, palm coming to a rest against his cheek. "It's okay, Neah—"

Red wrenched himself from her grip, roughly pushing her away. "I'm not _Neah_ ," he spat venomously. A hot fury burned in his chest, incomprehensible to even Red, but before he could succumb to the Noah's bloodlust, they were both ripped away from the memories of the Second Exorcists.

* * *

"Kill them~," were the first words registered by Red, courtesy of the Millenium Earl. Immediately, he darted away from the devastation caused by the awakening of Alma Karma and his transformation into an Akuma, doll-Road clinging to the top of his head beside Timcanpy. Red's Noah features only further served to cement his defection from the Black Order.

He almost seemed to fit in perfectly, stone-like amber eyes observing as Alma's screams shook and destroyed the very foundations beneath them, a burst of light consuming Alma and infecting those below him with the Akuma virus. It was only the white cloak marked with a red cross still clinging to Red's shoulders that served as a reminder to every Order personnel below that it was merely this morning that he'd been fighting as an Exorcist of the Black Order.

When Alma finally regained his senses and landed amidst the wreckage he'd caused, the Millenium Earl chuckled with a vast grin, "Now then, this will be a sight worth seeing~."

"Yuu…" Alma's voice resonated in the heavy silence that had settled, "I had a dream, and I finally understand why you betrayed me, Yuu. I hated you for only destroying me. It's because you survived that those damn humans didn't repent," he rasped, his marred image evolving and mutating until he resembled closer to his original appearance. "It's because of you that I've become this—an Akuma."

Kanda's cold expression remained frozen. "Then I'll destroy you."

The duo met with a thunderous clash—cutting, slashing, taunting. Red imagined that if Lenalee were here, she'd be crying, grieving for a friendship that would end in tragedy.

And somewhere below, Red could hear Tokusa's tortured screams, as his body mutated and expanded into a mess of Akuma cells in response to Alma's transformation.

Still, Red remained frozen, witnessing the ease in which the Noah destroyed what had seemed like a fairly stable organization. It was in this moment that Red realized just how inferior the Black Order was to the Noah Clan.

"If you say you'll come along with us," the Millenium Earl chimed, somewhere behind him, "We'll put an end to this little show for you~. Toss aside the Order, Red~. If you do, I'll put an end to this horrific killing spree~."

Red's gaze remained frozen on the battle below. Eventually though, he tore his eyes away and glanced up to the Earl's pleased expression. "Alright, I'll go."

"Ah, see how easy that was~," the Earl's laughter was deafening. And with a snap of his fingers, Alma collapsed, as the Akuma cells within him were abruptly eradicated. Tokusa's screaming died down to mere whimpers.

" _Red, please!_ " Johnny suddenly pleaded, voice echoing through the ear piece Red had forgotten about.

Crushing the device with his fingers, Red finally turned, shedding his Exorcist cloak and trailing after the Noah, until he vanished through the Ark Gate.

* * *

 **A/N:** Finally, we can say goodbye to canon! And it only took eight chapters… ^^"

Hopefully you're all familiar with the Alma Karma Arc, because I did some serious skimming on that. Anyway please let me know your thoughts in a review!(:


	9. The Noah of Destruction

**A/N:** Yay for a quick update! I'm starting the fall semester soon, and I doubt I'll have much time write once that happens, so I did my best to put together a new chapter for you guys!^.^

And thank you to **SheuOgama** , **Shinigami Merchant** , **secondnina** , **Fairygirl34** , **lizyeh2000** , **Guest** , and **Jeiido** for taking the time to review! And a thank you to all my new followers as well! I appreciate every single one of you and I hope you enjoy the chapter!(:

* * *

 **Disclaimer** **:** I'd like to think if I owned D. Gray-Man, I would've already killed off every character, which is the exact reason I don't own it, but that's okay, because with FanFiction, I can rewrite the same thing in as many different ways as I want.^-^

* * *

Chapter 9

* * *

 **—3rd Person POV—**

 **~Red~**

If the Millenium Earl had expected a happy reunion between Red and the rest of the clan, he was more unhinged than Red had originally assumed him to be. Still, they were in the midst of a war, and even the Earl recognized that the finale to his beloved "play" was nearing and there was much work to be done.

The moment Red turned his back to the wreckage of the North American Branch and stepped through the Ark Gate, he found himself in a dim room within the Ark filled with floating portraits and a long dining table, the remaining clan members joining them after the completion of their own missions. Red's expression was dark with ire and bloodlust, but he said naught a word as Tyki firmly guided him to the seat at the right hand of the Millenium Earl. Stiffly, he eyed each of the Noah through narrowed eyes, not once flinching away from the triumphant smirks and the suspicious glares rampant among the Noah.

The animosity was tangible between Red and the Noah Clan.

"Who invited the fucking traitor?"

Red wasn't all too sure who said it, but the resulting turmoil shook the room as shouting matches erupted across the table.

With a snarl, Red slammed his fist against the table with resounding _crack_ , gaining everyone's attention. " _Shut the fuck up_ ," Red growled, eyes flashing, "Whatever shitty relationship ya had with the Fourteenth ain't my problem, so _back the hell off_."

"The fuck I will!" a Noah unrecognizable to Red immediately rebuffed. "It's because of _you_ that I'm missing memories from my previous incarnation!"

"I can remove a few more if ya'd like," Red spat, shooting up to his feet and causing his chair to topple back with a heavy clatter.

"Once a traitor, always a traitor," someone else hissed.

"That's _enough_." The Millenium Earl's voice was quiet and devoid of emotion. Suddenly, the rest of the Noah seemed to recall his presence and recoiled, averting their eyes and directing their glares at the tabletop. When Red realized they had been successfully subdued, he dragged his chair upright with a huff, slumping back into his seat, a nasty glare still twisting his expression.

"I know that…" Road suddenly piped up, her doll-form still clinging to the top of Red's crimson spikes, startling him. He'd forgotten about her plush figure situated beside Timcanpy. "I know what happened thirty-five years ago was agonizing, for all of us. But… Red, just like the rest of you, no longer recalls what happened, do you, Red?"

His molten eyes dimmed, remembering the fragments of Neah's memories. "Not a damn thing," he whispered, hands clenching into fists atop the table.

"Brother," the Earl sobbed, gazing at Red as tears spilled down his cheeks.

The mood eased from vexed to somber as the Noah watched their leader shield his face with his hands, shoulders shaking.

"He's not lying," the white-haired Noah, Wisely, quietly added. "I can see the memories in his head and they're mere fragments. Unrecognizable to even him."

Red winced, forgetting about the damned mind-reader.

But Wisely's admission further defused the tension. And in the silence that settled, an emotion foreign to Red bloomed in his chest. It was an unfamiliar warmth that erased all lingering doubts of joining the Noah. Dare he say, feelings akin to loyalty and love were the emotions clouding his head and his heart—something he'd only felt in the briefest of moments when he had been a member of the Black Order.

 _Is this what ties the Noah Clan to the Millenium Earl?_

Swiftly, Red stomped on those mounting feelings with forced resentment.

"Why do you continue to deny us?!" Wisely demanded with unexpected ire, eyes boring into identical tawny eyes. "Why do you not accept your place beside us?"

Red bared his teeth. "You all said it," he snarled, "I'm a fuck-up—a traitor. I'm neither Exorcist or Noah. I'll stick around for as long ya like, but don't expect me ta be like the rest of ya. Just watch, I'll botch this up sooner or later, just like I did with the Exorcists."

"But Red—"

"Hush, Road~," the Millenium Earl spoke once again, removing his hands and wiping his tears. "Tyki-pet, will you please show Red to the room we have prepared for him~? This conversation is over for the time being~."

"Yes, Lord Millenium," Tyki agreed with wearied expression, and the group of Noah disbanded quietly, each lost in their own, fragmented memories of the past.

* * *

Red trailed after Tyki through the dark passageways of the new Noah Ark, a rigid silence persisting in the face of Red's turbulent feelings and Tyki's conflicted thoughts. Red dug his hands in his pockets, concealing his fists, back slouched, and eyes narrowed as he glared at Tyki's back, gilded eyes following the sway of his long, wavy ponytail. For no real reason the sight irritated Red, and his fingers itched to chop off the stupid hair. Instead, he cast his eyes to the ground.

"Boy," Tyki's sudden acknowledgement derailed him of his thoughts and he skidded to a stop before the taller Noah. "Welcome home," Tyki said blandly, tossing him a key.

With a snap of his wrist, Red caught it, eyeing the fancy twisting of looping metal and teeth skeptically.

"Tyki!" Road whined, her little poppet figure still nestled amongst his thorns of red hair, "Don't forget his welcoming present! It was Tyki's idea, but I helped him," she giggled, patting his head with her round, plush hands.

Digging into the pocket of his white pants, Tyki pulled out the gleaming, brand new deck of cards tied together by a scarlet ribbon. Red caught the deck with his other hand, gazing down at the impressive, high-quality playing cards, his chest constricting with raw emotions unidentifiable to him.

"And!" Road piped up, "Since we knew you couldn't bring any of your stuff with you, we went and bought you a whole lot of new clothes! We figured you were around Wisely's size, so we used him as a dummy," she laughed.

When Red didn't immediately reply, Tyki leaned in close, eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Boy, why are your eyes so shiny?"

"Sod off," Red hissed, jabbing the older Noah in the chest.

 _Damn it all, the stupid Noah in me is makin' me feel all wonky. Shite._

Tyki held his hands up in surrender. "Well, Cheating Boy? Are you going to take a look?" he wondered, gesturing towards the simple door leading to his room.

"Yeah, yeah," Red grumbled, jabbing the key into the slot and twisting until a sharp click resounded. Turning the knob, Red swung the door open and entered his room, Tyki at his heels.

"What do you think, Red~?" Road chirped, tugging at his hair.

Without a word, Red jumped forward and flung himself on top of the massive canopy bed, instantly sinking into the dark gray, silk sheets. "It's like a fuckin' cloud," he groaned into the bed, voice muffled.

Road, who'd flown off his head and landed somewhere above him, atop the mountain of pillows, burst into giggles. "Only the best for you~!" A miffed Timcanpy squeezed himself from the nook of pillows he'd disappeared into and gently settled beside the doll.

Overall the room was quite simplistic, the massive bed the only thing that appeared remotely extravagant. The rest consisted of two nightstands, a desk in the corner, a wardrobe, and a sitting area situated by the fireplace, with a simple color scheme of dark grays and blues.

Reluctantly, Red pushed himself off the cloud—bed, his feet sinking into the plush carpet and sauntered over to the giant wardrobe, flinging the doors open and rummaging through the mass of clothing. Slutty Noah outfit? Check. Fancy getup that could transform any hardarse into a duffer? Check. "Damn it ta hell, Road," Red groused, "What the fuck? I can't wear any of this!"

Doll-Road pouted and then sighed, "Check the drawers beneath."

Yanking the drawers open, Red dug through the neatly folded clothes consisting of informal wear, underclothes, and training outfits, and with a triumphant smirk, pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a sleeveless tank. "Brilliant!" Without a hint of shame, Red stripped out of his combat boots and Exorcists uniform. Tyki sighed in exasperation, facepalming, while Road burst into giggles. Once in his boxers, he tossed the articles into a dirty pile in the corner right beside a laundry basket and yanked on the new clothes, before tossing himself right back onto the bed.

Within seconds, his snores filled the room, and Tyki took that as his cue to leave.

"Rude brat," he grumbled, tossing an extra blanket atop the redhead, dimming the lights, and shutting the bedroom door with a soft click.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, Red stirred awake. Blinking open heavy, sleep-filled eyes, he first noticed the small, dying fire within the fireplace, which he didn't ever recall lighting. Red sighed, the events of the previous day heavy in his mind. On the one hand, he wished he didn't care—he hadn't ever before, so why did he have to start now? Giving up his place in the Order for the sake of Kanda and Alma hadn't been a difficult decision. He'd been bound to join the Noah sooner or later, and the clusterfuck at the North American Branch had only served to speed things up. And a small voice, in the back of Red's head, imagined that Lenalee, or even Lavi, might have done the same thing.

What really aggravated Red, was the turmoil that had flared within him, subsequent to joining the Noah Clan. In his head, it had been simple—he'd join the Earl, screw around, do some of his dirty work, and if he got terribly bored, he'd ditch them in the same way he'd done the Order. It was simple. But the Noah within him was incurring emotions that had Red gripping his chest with confusion and frustration.

"Fuck it all," he grumbled, gold eyes burning alight with the glowing embers reflected in them.

And at the sound of his voice, someone shifted beside him.

Red froze, before carefully twisting his head and gazing at the close proximity of Road's face, who was no longer in her doll form. The Noah girl was dressed in her white dress, stockings, and wide ribbons encasing her chest and arms. At some point, she must have kicked off her shoes, because her frigid, bare feet were tucked beneath Red's leg. Timcanpy was snuggled on her other side.

Their intimate position served to put Red on edge, and with an irritated huff he pushed aside a blanket he didn't recall having and jumped off the bed. He ambled over to the wardrobe, pushed up against the wall opposite to the fireplace, and tugged on a pair of socks, and then his combat boots. With yawn and a rub of his eyes, Red exited the room, leaving Road and Timcanpy fast asleep on his bed.

It took five minutes tops for Red to realize that there was absolutely nothing to do in the Ark. Thus far, he'd run into a few Akuma servants, who had skirted him like the plague, and that was about it. He was lost, starving, and just as Red was getting ready to rip open an Ark Gate of his own in hopes of finding a place to go out to and eat, he ran into one of the Noah.

"Oi, blondie," Red called, "Do ya know where the kitchen is around 'ere? I'm bloody starvin' and those damn Akuma run off every time I see them," he groused.

The "blondie," or as she introduced herself, Lulubell, shifted her glasses and answered in a calm and polite voice, "It is likely they are avoiding you due to the Innocence you possess. As for your other question, it's nearly time for breakfast to be served in the dining room. You are always welcomed to join us there."

"Eh? Seriously?! Quit dithering then!" Red snagged her by the arm and began dragging her down the corridor.

"Out of curiosity, where are you taking me?" Lulubell asked, completely unruffled neither by his aggressive nature nor by his uncouthness. "The dining room is in the opposite direction."

"Well, why didn't ya say so?!" Without skipping a bit, Red turned them right back around and hurried back, his stomach growling noisily.

"You'll be turning left down here," Lulubell calmly directed, and Red was happy to follow her instructions if it meant he was closer to getting a bite to eat.

As soon as the duo burst into the dining room from the previous night, Red released her and dived into his seat, while Lulubell followed at a more sedate pace. At the moment, the room was empty barring the two, and Red had to wonder how early it was, that not even the "proper" Tyki, who was always insistent on cramming manners into him, couldn't be bothered to show up. On the bright side, it meant there was more food for him. The Akuma servants had generously piled the table high with all types of breakfast dishes, and the aroma had Red's stomach growling ravenously.

Unlike Lulubell, who didn't appear rushed and had simply sat in her chair, a book in her hands, Red was quick to pile the food high on his plate. Surprisingly, the blonde Noah didn't appear bothered by his lack of manners. Red was sure that if Tyki were here, he'd have already given him an earful. Red shrugged off the thought and inhaled his way through the food so much so that the Akuma servants were soon forced to step in and refill the empty platters along the table. One of the them was even brave enough to remove Red's pile of dirty dishes and silverware to replace it with a new set.

By the time the rest of Noah began taking their seats, Red was on his fourth helping, and was at this point eating more for pleasure than hunger. Without a word, most of the Noah simply sat and began to serve themselves, including Lulubell. Their lack of greetings gave Red the idea that the Noah Clan were not morning people, and the idea was so ridiculously domestic, he couldn't help but snicker into his orange juice.

"If I may, what is it that you find so funny?" Tyki groused, having taken his seat across from Red and the first to notice the redhead's snide expression.

"Damn Tyki, what crawled up yer arse? Not a morning person, I see," Red sniggered, scooping up a generous helping of scrambled eggs and shoveling it into his mouth.

"At least I'm not the one eating like a savage," Tyki huffed, taking a sip of his coffee.

Red shrugged, unphased and continued eating without a care. It was once the Millenium Earl joined them at the head of the table that Red noticed the only Noah missing from the table was Road. Somehow, the idea didn't surprise him. Road, just like the rest of her family, did not seem like a morning person.

"How is everyone this morning~? Did you all have a good night's sleep~?" the Earl, with his ever chipper smile, greeted the clan.

General murmurs of agreement arose across the table, and out of the corner of his eye, Red noticed a of few them were half asleep, faces resting against palms, the table, and one was even slumped back against his chair.

"What about you, Brother~?" the Earl gazed at him with a hopeful expression.

Red wrinkled his nose with distaste, slightly miffed with the Earl's affectionate tone. Nonetheless he shrugged, and swallowed his food before replying, "Damn right. That bed was like a fuckin' cloud."

Tyki snorted across from him. "You don't have to worry about a thing, Lord Millenium. The boy slept like the dead. He was out as soon as he hit the pillows."

"Yesterday was an exhausting day for all of us~," the Earl consented, "And I'm glad to hear you're adjusting so well, Red~."

Red shrugged, unable to answer through the forkful of waffles he'd shoved into his mouth.

"Now, my dear family, if you would do me the favor of please waking up," the Earl began, casting a baleful glance to Fiddler, who'd accidentally started snoring in his seat, "I would like for us to do some formal introductions, seeing as Red is not familiar with every one of us. Tyki, since Road has yet to arrive, would you please start us off?"

"Yes, Lord Millenium," Tyki sighed, setting his coffee cup down and turning to look at Red. "Hello, boy. Obviously, we've met, but in case you didn't recall, I am Tyki Mikk and am currently the Third Apostle of Noah and represent Noah's Pleasure."

Tyki then indicated for his older brother to continue, and the older man who Red recognized from the North American Branch attack spoke up, his voice eerily similar to Tyki's, "Hello, Fourteenth. I am Sheryl Kamelot, brother to Tyki and adoptive father to Road and Wisely. I am the Fourth Apostle, the Noah of Desires."

And like so it continued around the table with Wisely, Lulubell, Tryde, Devito and Jasdero, Mightra, Mercym, and Fiddler. Until finally, Red realized it was his turn. "Eh," he shrugged waving his fork around, "I'm Red, an Exorcist-slash-Noah. Host ta Crown Clown and the Fourteenth Noah. Not too sure what the Fourteenth represents though," he shrugged, tapping the fork against his lips.

The Millenium Earl startled, "What do you mean, Brother~?"

"The Noah memories should have already assimilated you accordingly," Tyki accused him.

"Huh? Didn't I tell ya my memories were all botched?" Red rolled his eyes.

"He's not lying," Wisely noted, brow furrowed, "I would even go as far as to say that his Noah may be incomplete, as though the incarnation process became defective."

Red shrugged, unphased, and unwilling to think too much around the mind-reader.

"It may explain why it's been so difficult to assimilate him into the Noah Clan," Lulubell murmured, setting her book down, "The realization of familial loyalty is being birthed within him at a much slower pace than that of the rest of us."

"Does that make him weaker?" Fiddler wonder, rubbing at his eyes.

"Not necessarily. He's also in possession of an Innocence shard, which has yet to rebel against him," Sheryl eyed him shrewdly.

"But it certainly hinders his capabilities as a Noah, I'm sure," Mercym grunted, appearing unbothered.

"Why don't we find out~?" Devito suggested with a raised gun, Jasdero agreeing with a hysteric giggle.

Before Red could shoot back a snarky reply, Road barged into the room with Timcanpy on her shoulder, her hair messier than usual as she trudged towards the empty chair beside Red. "Why didn't you wake me up, Red?" she pouted as she served herself breakfast.

The redhead glanced down at her from the corner of his eye. "What am I? Yer mum?" he huffed, forking some of the food from her plate.

She didn't bat an eyelash. "I almost missed breakfast because of you! That's just mean," she sulked.

"Then next time don't take a kip in my room," Red groused as soon as he'd swallowed.

Belatedly, Road and Red noticed the strained silence that had befallen the room. Simultaneously, the duo looked up and were faced with Sheryl's dark, demon-like expression. "You mean to say, that this piece of garbage slept in the same bed as _my_ Road?!" Sheryl hissed, his grip tight on edge of the table.

"Shite."

Red flung himself from his seat, in time to witness his chair being sliced into shafts of wood by the Noah of Desires.

"Dad!" Road shrieked in protest, while the rest of the Noah watched on, as though Red being killed by Road's father was the best entertainment they'd had in a while.

But that didn't phase Red in the slightest. While Road was distracting her dad, Red took the opportunity to launch himself over the table and tackle the older Noah, initiating a tussle that left both foregoing their supernatural powers in exchange for using their fists.

It was just as Red managed to get in a good punch across Sheryl's jaw, that he was suddenly snagged away by Tyki, while Road crouched over the prone form of her father.

"Alright, boy, I think that's enough. This isn't the streets."

"Whatever," Red huffed, shaking him off.

"Before everyone goes~," the Earl voiced, unbothered by the ruckus that had occurred, "There is one last thing that must be discussed~. Road, Tyki, Sheryl, and Red, if you would please return to your seats~."

Before Red could protest, a pair of Akuma servants entered the room. One swiped away the mess created by Sheryl, while the other one lugged in a replacement, making Red wonder just how many chairs had been destroyed in the past.

 _A lot. Probably a lot,_ Red concluded. Wisely's discreet nod of agreement only confirmed his thoughts.

"I am overjoyed that you are surely becoming part of our family~," the Millenium Earl began, gazing at Red, " _But_ , it is not surprising that a few of us aren't convinced you've fully given up whatever loyalties you may hold towards the wretched Black Order."

Red blinked, and part of him wanted to remind the lot of them that he'd been blackmailed into coming here and didn't have to prove anything to anyone, but in the end, Red convinced himself that it'd be useless because he just didn't care. At all.

"We want to see you successfully complete your first mission~," the Earl encouraged, pushing a playing card towards Red.

The redhead lifted his eyebrows, and at the Earl's nod, he picked it up and read the name scribbled on it.

 _Lenalee Lee_

"Your first assignment: Kill the person whose name is written on that card~!"

Red's expression was pale and frozen. Molten eyes flickered and gazed at the expectant gazes of his "family."

A swell of emotions battled for dominance in his chest. Red pushed past it with difficulty, and instead gave the answer that would cause him the least trouble, "Alright."

The Noah cheered, and Red felt as though he was about to retch up every last bite he'd taken.

* * *

 **A/N:** Uh oh! What will Red do?! :0 Let me know your predictions in a review! And I apologize for any mistakes you find. It's two in the morning, so it can't be helped!:P I'll try to come back and edit later. Or maybe I'll just try to squeeze in another chapter. Maybe.

Also, let me know what you think about his relationship with the Noah so far. I could've gone in a few different directions with this chapter, but ultimately, I decided to keep the conflict lower than the norm. Just needed a bit of a break, because the rest of this story is conflict, upon conflict.^^"

Anyway, please review!(:


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